Finding Myself: The Fierce Crusade: Book Four
by Freakwithnoname
Summary: Shadekit, a strong, fierce, loyal, competitive Kit of ShadowClan, is always ready for a battle and never backs down from a challenge! But when an unnecessary war between the Clans is about to be fought, he strives to find a way to end it before cats get hurt. *Book One: Storm Rising, Book Two: Downcasted, Book Three: Outsiders*
1. Allegiances

**Please Note: Three books come before this one, it is recommended to read those before you dive into this one. Also, I do have a life (school, work, etc.) and I will try trying to upload a chapter AT LEAST once every week. Thank you and enjoy :)**

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 **ALLEGIANCES**

SHADOWCLAN

LEADER **BEESTAR** -white she-cat with black ears

DEPUTY **RAVENCLAW** -black tom with light eyes

MEDICINE CAT **WHISPERSONG** -gray she-cat with green eyes

 **APPRENTICE, THUNDERPAW**

WARRIORS (toms, and she-cats without kits)

 **SHADOWCLAW** -gray tom with a white tail-tip and blue eyes

 **CLUMSYSTEP** -black tom

 **MUDSTORM** -brown tom

 **MOONSHINE** -gray she-cat with green eyes

 **APPRENTICE, HONEYPAW**

 **CREAMSKY** -cream-furred tom

 **RAINDUSK** -brown tabby tom with blue eyes

 **AMBERPOOL** -brown she-cat with amber eyes

 **OAKSTORM** -brown tom with amber eyes

 **SPRINGLEAP** -black tom with long legs

 **WINTERSKY** -pure white she-cat with light blue eyes

 **APPRENTICE, COLDPAW**

 **DOVESONG** -white she-cat with brown eyes

 **YELLOWBIRD** -yellow she-cat

 **SNOWMASK** -small pure white she-cat with green eyes

 **FALLENPINE** -gray tabby tom with blue eyes

 **FEATHERBREEZE** -silver she-cat

 **FROSTLIGHT** -beautiful white she-cat with blue eyes

 **FLAMEWING** -golden tabby tom

 **APPRENTICE, STREAKPAW**

 **DUCKPELT** -creamy-yellow tom with yellow eyes

 **CROWFLIGHT** -black tom with a white stomach

 **LIONFUR** -yellow she-cat with amber eyes

 **SUNCLAW** -yellow she-cat

 **ASHCLOUD** -pale gray she-cat with amber eyes

 **APPRENTICE, LIONPAW**

APPRENTICES **THUNDERPAW** -creamy-yellow tom with amber eyes

 **LIONPAW** -large yellow tom

 **HONEYPAW** -yellow she-cat with white stripes

 **COLDPAW** -black tom with white ears

 **STREAKPAW** -brown tom with gray streak on his pelt

QUEENS **NIGHTSNOW** -black-and-white she-cat, mother to Coalkit(black-and-brown tom with blue eyes) and Icekit(white she-cat)

 **HOLLYPATH** -black she-cat with green eyes, mother to Leafykit(black she-kit with leafy green eyes) and Shadekit(black tom with long legs)

ELDERS **WHITEEYES** -white tom with blind blue eyes and graying muzzle

THUNDERCLAN

LEADER **BRAMBLESTAR** -dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

DEPUTY **IVYPOOL** -silver–and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

MEDICINE CAT **GINGERLEAF** -ginger she-cat with amber eyes

WARRIORS **BERRYNOSE** -cream-colored tom

 **MOUSEWHISKER** -gray-and-white tom

 **CINDERHEART** -gray tabby she-cat

 **LIONBLAZE** -golden tabby tom with amber eyes

 **DOVEWING** -pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

 **ROSEPETAL** -dark cream she-cat

 **POPPYFROST** -tortoiseshell she-cat

 **SNOWBUSH** -white fluffy tom

 **BLOSSOMFALL** -tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

 **BUMBLESTRIPE** -very pale gray tom with black stripes

 **AMBERMOON** -pale ginger she-cat

 **DEWNOSE** -gray-and-white tom

 **HOLLYTUFT** -black she-cat with amber eyes

 **FERNSONG** -yellow tabby tom

 **SORRELSTRIPE** -dark brown she-cat with blue eyes

 **CHERRYFALL** -ginger she-cat

 **MOLEWHISKER** -brown-and-cream tom

 **ALDERPELT** -dark ginger tom with amber eyes

 **SPARKFLOWER** -orange tabby; the spitting image of Firestar, as a she-cat

 **LEAFPELT** -tan she-cat

 **LEAFMOON** -tortoiseshell she-cat

 **BREEZEWHISKER** -tortoiseshell she-cat

 **WHITEFUR** -fluffy white tom

 **FROZENPELT** -white tom

 **HONEYFUR** -golden she-cat

 **PETALDUST** -creamy-golden she-cat

 **SUNPELT** -golden-and-white she-cat

QUEENS **LILYHEART** -tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

 **HONEYBLOSSOM** -white she-cat with yellow splotches, mother of Spottedkit(white she-kit with brown spots)

ELDERS **CLOUDTAIL** -long-haired white tom with blue eyes

 **SPIDERLEG** -long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

 **BIRCHFALL** -light brown tabby tom

 **DAISY** -cream long-furred cat from the horseplace

WINDCLAN

LEADER **CROWSTAR** -dark gray tom

DEPUTY **EMBERFOOT** -gray tom with two dark paws

MEDICINE CAT **WINDFLOWER** -brown she-cat

 **APPRENTICE, DIRTPELT** (light brown tom)

WARRIORS **NIGHTCLOUD** -black she-cat

 **GORSETAIL** -very pale gray-and-white tom with blue eyes

 **LEAFTAIL** -dark tabby tom with amber eyes

 **OATCLAW** -pale brown tabby tom

 **HEATHERTAIL** -light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

 **BREEZEPELT** -black tom with amber eyes

 **SMOKEFUR** -gray she-cat

 **LARKWING** -pale brown tabby she-cat

 **MOLEFUR** -pale brown tom

 **BRINDLECLAW** -mottled brown she-cat

 **BARKWIND** -brown tom

 **DUSTYPELT** -brown she-cat with blue eyes

 **BEARPELT** -brown tom

 **NUTFUR** -pale brown she-cat with blue eyes

QUEENS **SEDGEWHISKER** -light brown tabby she-cat

 **MOUSESHINE** -small gray she-cat, mother to Stormkit(gray she-cat with a brown stomach) and Mudkit(brown tom with green eyes)

ELDERS **FERNTAIL** -gray tabby she-cat with gray muzzle

 **SLIGHTFOOT** -black tom with flash of white on his chest

RIVERCLAN

LEADER **MISTYSTAR** -gray she-cat with blue eyes

DEPUTY **HERONWING** -dark gray-and-black tom

MEDICINE CAT **WILLOWSHINE** -gray tabby she-cat

 **APPRENTICE, FOGHEART** (tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes)

WARRIORS **PODLIGHT** -large gray-and-white tom

 **MINTFUR** -light gray tabby tom

 **MALLOWNOSE** -light brown tabby tom

 **DUSKFUR** -brown tabby she-cat

 **MOSSPELT** -tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

 **PERCHWING** -gray-and-white she-cat

 **PETALFUR** -gray-and-white she-cat

 **MINNOWTAIL** -dark gray she-cat

 **ICEWING** -white she-cat with blue eyes

 **FOXPELT** -russet tabby tom

 **PRICKLECLAW** -white she-cat with amber eyes

 **SHADESTREAM** -dark brown she-cat

 **LARKFUR** -brown she-cat

 **STORMHEART** -tortoiseshell tom

 **NIGHTMIST** -black tom

 **SILVERSTONE** -beautiful silver she-cat

 **DAPPLESTREAM** -gray she-cat with amber eyes

 **MUDCLAW** -brown tom with sharp claws and teeth

 **APPRENTICE, SPECKLEDPAW** (tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes)

 **MAPLESTORM** -black, ginger, and white tortoiseshell she-cat

 **ICEBLAZE** -white tom with blue eyes

 **MISTEYES** -red she-cat with blue eyes

 **APPRENTICE, TIGERPAW** (orange tom with black stripes on his pelt)

QUEENS **SHIMMERPELT** -silver she-cat, expecting Heronwing's kits

 **SKYHEART** -gray she-cat with blue eyes, mother of Cloudkit(gray tom with bright blue eyes) and Fishkit(black tom with glossy pelt)

ELDERS **HAVENPELT** -black-and-white she-cat

 **CURLFEATHER** -pale brown she-cat with blue eyes

CATS OUTSIDE THE CLANS

 **SUMMER** -orange-and-white she-cat, lives with Whither

 **WHITHER** -silver tabby tom with a torn ear, lives with Summer

 **ECHO** -fluffy white she-cat with leafy green eyes

 **GOOSE** -brown tabby tom with orange eyes

 **ASTRID** -gray she-cat with a black tail and amber eyes

 **HOWLER** -black tom with a permanent limp and some missing claws


	2. Prologue: A Lurking Cat

**PROLOGUE**

 _The light sun shone down on_ the camp, warming her white pelt and her black ear twitched as she gazed around her camp. Ravenclaw was leading in a patrol with prey in their jaws, Moonshine led her apprentice, Honeypaw, into camp follow by Wintersky and Coldpaw. Ashcloud, Lionpaw, Flamewing, and Streakpaw were exiting camp, probably for training.

Fangclaw, the she-cat from StrikeClan that was killed several moons ago, had two kits Nightsnow and Hollypath. They were amazing warriors and now they had become queens together. Nightsnow and Raindusk had two kits: Coalkit and Icekit and Hollypath and Springleap had two kits as well: Leafykit and Shadekit. They were well behaved kits, barely a moon old. Hollypath's kits were just a few sunrises older than Nightsnow's kits. Sunclaw and Crowflight had Coldpaw and Honeypaw and finally Ashcloud and Oakstorm had a singular strong, loyal tom named Streakpaw.

Beestar had tamed Crowflight by making him her apprentice for a few moons. She had calmed him and made him into a model warrior. Of course, no cat was very happy with him with they way he had treated them so he was struggled to keep up with everyone.

Whispersong entered the clearing with herbs in her jaws, her new apprentice, Thunderpaw, following after her with herbs in his jaws as well. Thunderpaw was Lionfur's kit and shortly before their apprentice ceremony Thunderpaw took interest in medicine cat duties and, discussing it with Lionfur for a very long time Beestar was able to convince her it was okay for her kit to become a medicine cat. Whispersong was overjoyed for the company.

The medicine cat smiled at her warmly and then continued mewing things to her apprentice through the leaves in her jaws as they slipped into their den.

"Beestar?" Ravenclaw was standing beside her with his head tilted. A mouse was beside her at his paws and his light eyes with full of curiosity. "Are you alright? I've been saying your name for a while."

She smiled at her loyal deputy. "I apologize. Ravenclaw. I was just thinking about all the progress ShadowClan has been making these last few moons. We've really become quite the Clan," Beestar purred proudly, looking around at her Clan.

Ravenclaw laid down beside her and rolled the mouse over to her. "You've done a very nice job, Beestar. It's a shame that Whiteeyes retired though, he was a swell warrior." His eyes flickered over to the elder's den. Only Whiteeyes lived in the elder's den now.

"I'm getting old, Ravenclaw. Soon you'll have to take over this Clan," Beestar mewed calmly, taking a large bite of the mouse. "You know I only have two lives left. My time is coming." She lifted her head to the bright sky where her ancestors ran freely without any borders.

Her deputy was staring at her with wide eyes. "Well you're still alive, Beestar. We don't need to think about that for a while." He took a bite of the mouse too and chewed with a smile.

"Beestar! Ravenclaw!" Whispersong raced up to them quickly, Thunderpaw at her side with wide terrified eyes. "Thunderpaw received a prophecy from StarClan!" she mewed in a low voice, sitting down. "Tell them, Thunderpaw."

Thunderpaw took a deep breath and began, "I was just sorting herbs when a thin gray tabby tom with teeth that curve out from under his lip came to me. He told me that he had to tell me a prophecy from StarClan. _A lurking cat will bring war to the Clans_." Thunderpaw dug his claws into the ground and shook his head. "War to the Clans, Beestar. We must find this cat!"

She looked at the little apprentice with her large green eyes. "War?" That's never good for anyone. "And a lurking cat? Could it be a ShadowClan cat since we lurk in the shadows?" Her eyes darted around the clearing, raking her brain. She looked directly at Crowflight who was mewing to Sunclaw. "Crowflight," she growled lowly and the three cats around her looked at the tom. "He's always lurking in the shadows. Everyone keep an eye on him," she ordered and they all nodded in agreement.

The two medicine cats padded away back to the medicine den and Ravenclaw looked at the black pelted warrior in concern.

"I thought you had him under control?" Ravenclaw mewed and looked back at her in more concern. "We know how he was before you had him under control. He was making cats kill our warriors," he mewed with uncertainty.

She gazed at Crowflight as he smiled at his mate warmly. "I remember, Ravenclaw." She took a deep breath with worry. _I will not let this war happen because Crowflight got bored. He has done enough!_


	3. Chapter One: I'm Ready To Grow Up

**CHAPTER ONE**

" _Shadekit? Coalkit bounced over to him_ excitedly with Icekit and Leafykit following after, each of them with a giant smile on their faces. "Hollypath, Nightsnow, Springleap, and Raindusk are waiting for us outside the nursery. They're going to show us how well-behaved apprentices act!"

He looked at his sister, Leafykit, and his denmates Icekit and Coalkit, and rose to his paws. Shadekit was directly outside the elder's den where there was shade to relax. He wasn't like the other kits: obnoxious, playful, loud, energetic, or mischievous. However, he was quite curious and quiet.

Shadekit followed his denmates to the nursery where he could see the four warriors who were mewing to each other, smiling at them warmly as they padded over.

"Nightsnow and I are going hunting," Hollypath purred to Springleap and touched her nose to his cheek. "Be safe." She turned away and Nightsnow licked Raindusk's ear before rushing after Hollypath.

Raindusk looked down at us with a straight face. "Let's start with the hunter's' crouch," he mewed and got down low, taking all his weight into his haunches. "Once you've crept close enough to your prey give it a clean swipe!" He lashed out with his paw to the invisible piece of prey.

Icekit copied Raindusk's crouch and Shadekit dropped down low, looking at Springleap as he nodded in approval at him. Shadekit's eyes narrowed in pride and he glanced over at his denmates. They were crouched down low, but each of them were a little shaky.

"Very good, all of you," Springleap mewed, but when he gazed at the others, there was only disappointment for them. "You'll get better with practice." He rose to his paws and looked around carelessly. "Raindusk and I are due on patrol." Springleap padded away from the kits and Raindusk affectionately nuzzled Coalkit before following after Springleap.

Shadekit stood up, glancing around and seeing Honeypaw padding over to him happily, her yellow fur shining in the sunlight.

"Hey, Shadekit!" Honeypaw purred, her eyes shining with amusement. "You have a great hunter's crouch." She glanced beside her at the other kits who were now tussling, not even noticing their conversation. She had a honey-like voice that soothed Shadekit. "Moonshine is a good mentor, this morning I caught a squirrel."

He looked at her, trying to seem interested in what she was saying. Honeypaw liked to drone on and on about her training and her progress. "Oh… Exciting," he mumbled and looked behind her to where he could see Ravenclaw talking to a group of cats including Shadowclaw, Mudstorm, Wintersky, and Coldpaw. He was intrigued. "Do you know why your brother is talking with Ravenclaw?" he asked Honeypaw, still watching them.

Honeypaw paused and glanced behind her shoulder at Coldpaw. "I'm not sure, he said there was some mission Wintersky was putting him on." She shrugged, as if it didn't matter or she didn't care. "Who cares? None of our business." Honeypaw smiled down at Shadekit.

Shadekit glared at her. "You're right. It isn't your business," he growled and slipped around her, crouching down low as he slowly crossed the clearing over to the hazel branch where they were talking. He slipped into the bushes at the edge of the clearing and pricked his ears, straining to hear.

"...near the twoleg place, a gray pelt and black tail. Very hard to miss, she sticks out like a leaf. She has amber eyes. Find her," Ravenclaw was mewing and flicked his tail at Wintersky. "Be careful, when I encountered her she attacked me."

 _Who are you talking about, Ravenclaw?_ His ears pricked as he watched the group break away towards the entrance to find the mystery cat. He felt his curiosity soar as he quietly padded after them, making his way across camp and watching Wintersky leave the camp with the patrol slipping out after her. _Don't forget me, Wintersky!_ He hurried towards the entrance, feeling his excitement escalate.

"Shadekit, where are you going?" Snowmask's familiar voice made him freeze and he turned around to see the small white she-cat looked at him. "You know you can't leave camp, Shadekit. Go find Whiteeyes," she ordered and padded away to the fresh-kill pile.

He stopped himself from hissing at Snowmask and instead turned to the elder's den and padded over to it angrily, scenting Whiteeyes inside of it.

"Come in, Shadekit," Whiteeyes mewed and he slipped inside, gazing at the elder. "It is clear you are ready to be an apprentice. You wish to explore the territory and protect your Clan." He nodded, his blind blue eyes staring past Shadekit. "You shouldn't be so eager to grow up." Suddenly, his blind eyes flickered right to were he was standing.

Now he felt uncomfortable. "You're only saying that because you're so old," he mewed without thinking and then froze, staring at the elder.

Whiteeyes nodded at him in agreement. "You're right. Just don't be too ready to grow up." His ears pricked and he looked over at the entrance.

"There you are, Shadekit!" Hollypath mewed and he turned around to face her, seeing her relief. "Come on, back to the nursery. Whiteeyes needs his rest and so do you." She moved aside so Shadekit could slip through and then she let him led to the nursery.

He gazed across the clearing, searching for Wintersky's pelt but not seeing it in the dark sunlight. It was almost completely gone and he could just barely see the moon. The nights were getting chiller and Hollypath said that leaf-bare was approaching.

They entered the nursery to see Leafykit, Coalkit, and Icekit were already fast asleep in their nests and Nightsnow was laying in her nest looking down at her kits with a smile.

Shadekit rolled his eyes and laid in his nest right in between Leafykit and Hollypath and tucked his tail under his nose. The nursery was a little colder from when he was first born but he just curled up tighter and let himself drift to sleep.

 _"Shadekit, open your eyes!" a soft, kind, warm, unfamiliar voice mewed and Shadekit opened his eyes, looking into the green eyes of a fluffy pure white she-cat with stars in her pelt._

 _He looked around at the unfamiliar clearing. He could smell some water nearby and a giant tree with no leaves was lumbering above them. The clearing was surrounded by bushes and small trees. Somehow this seemed familiar but he had never been here. "W-Who're you? Where are we?"_

 _The she-cat smiled warmly. "I am Softheart. And this is StarClan." But her smile faltered and she she looked upset and scared. "Something bad is happening, Shadekit. StarClan is changing, we're separating and become two Clans. War is upon us." Softheart looked up at the dark sky. "A lurking cat will bring war to the Clans."_

 _Shadekit was confused and he shook his head. "War? What am I supposed to do about it? I'm not even an apprentice!" he mewed, startled. This cat was crazy if she thought Shadekit could do anything about this war._

 _She frowned at him with worry. "You'll know when the time comes, Shadekit." And then she disappeared._

He sat up in alarm, breathing heavily and looking around the dark den with wide eyes. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the darkness and he sucked in a deep breath. The den was full of sleeping queens and kits and he could feel a small chill in the den.

Hollypath was in the nest next to him sleeping soundly, not even noticing the chill. She was snoring quietly but now that Shadekit could hear it, it bugged him a little. He'd have to see if there was a way to end the snoring. It'd bug him.

Shadekit rose to his paws and stepped out of his nest, stretching his back legs and then he slipped out of the nursery quietly and entered the clearing. It was lighter out here than in the den because the sun was coming up. The clearing was also empty.

He padded across the dark, empty clearing to the medicine den where he knew Whispersong would be sleeping and Thunderpaw would be too. Shadekit knew the medicine cat would jump right to fixing the nursery's hole.

Inside the medicine den he squinted to see Thunderpaw and Whispersong lying in their nests that were side-by-side at the back of the den near the storage part of the medicine den.

"Whispersong?" Shadekit whispered, now at the edge of her nest and peering inside. "Wake up!" he hissed in her ear fiercely.

The medicine cat jumped up in her nest, her green eyes wide with fright. "What? What is it?" She looked around and then looked down at Shadekit. "Are you okay?" she whispered, glancing over at her apprentice who was still asleep and shifted in his nest.

Shadekit responded quietly, "I'm fine. But the nursery has a draft in it. Do you think you could get someone to fix it? Also Hollypath is snoring. You should fix it." His green eyes shone in hope as he gazed up at the medicine cat. There was no way she'd say no. Whispersong was too soft-hearted. That's probably why she's a medicine cat.

Whispersong nodded drowsily. "Of course, Shadekit. I'll have Ravenclaw get some warriors on it right away. And later I'll speak with Hollypath." She laid her head down on the edge of her nest. "Now get back to your nest before Hollypath notices you're gone," she ordered and opened her jaws wide for a yawn, showing off her sharp, pointy teeth that could easily tear apart another cat.

He was impressed and surprised. She might be soft-hearted, but she had some potential as a warrior. _Who would choose to be a medicine cat?_ he thought silently as he turned away and padded out of the den quickly. The sun was rising in the sky and he turned his head just in time to see Springleap, Mudstorm, and Frostlight exiting the warriors den. They were padding over to him.

Springleap tilted his head. "Are you alright? You should be asleep in the nursery," he mewed in his surprised and worried voice. "Where is Hollypath?"

"I'm fine," he mewed again, slightly irritated. "There's a draft in the nursery so I went to tell Whispersong." He felt himself itch to be on the patrol too but he knew he was too young. Beestar or Ravenclaw would never allow it. Although his father might. "Hollypath is sleeping in the nursery. I didn't want to bother her," he explained.

His father accepted this and nodded. "Alright. Get back to your nest now." Springleap nodded to the nursery and then padded around him, Frostlight and Mudstorm following him. They all looked half asleep as they exited camp for the dawn patrol.

Shadekit continued across the clearing to the nursery and slipped inside, seeing Nightsnow was awake with Coalkit, Icekit, and Leafykit all playing with a mossball while his mother was still sound asleep and curled up in her nest.

"There you are, Shadekit!" Nightsnow purred and all the kits stopped and looked at him. "Where have you been?! I've been worried."

 _No you haven't,_ he thought angrily, knowing full well she barely noticed he wasn't in the den and playing with his denmates. "I was telling Whispersong about the draft in here," he mewed in an irritated voice. He was irritated that he had to keep explaining himself and also that she pretended to care that he was gone.

Nightsnow nodded at him and looked away, back at Coalkit who tossed the mossball to her. "Good throw, Coalkit!"

He rolled his eyes at Nightsnow. She was nothing like Hollypath who would actually care if he was missing. She pretended like her kits were going to rule the Clan one day. They wouldn't, of course, because Coalkit could barely run and Icekit was just annoying. Every time she opened her jaws Shadekit had to tune her out.

Yet despite that, Shadekit had faith in Leafykit to at least rise in the Clan. She was rather intelligent, almost as much as Shadekit himself, but not just quite. Leafykit was the only one, even if it was only slightly, understood him.

Shadekit climbed into his nest and settled down, curling up tightly. He could hear the other kits settling down and let himself drift to sleep.

There were dark storm clouds above. Rain was coming and Hollypath had warned him once he felt a singular drop of rain he must come straight back to the nursery.

Shadekit watched Beestar talk with Ravenclaw across the clearing. Ravenclaw looked upset but Beestar had a grim face. She nodded every so often and looked at the Clan with stern eyes. Beestar did not look happy but she continued nodding as if she was listening.

He turned his head to see Wintersky entering the camp with Coldpaw, Ashcloud, and Lionpaw trailing in after them. Coldpaw and Lionpaw were talking excitedly, probably about their training and Wintersky was padding over to Ravenclaw while Ashcloud began talking to the apprentices.

"Shadekit?" a soft voice startled him and he turned his head to see the yellow she-cat he knew as Honeypaw. "It's going to rain soon, you should get to your nest." Her eyes shone in amusement and she tilted her head. She seemed like she was going to burst with pride.

Without meaning to Shadekit rolled his eyes but he quickly sucked in a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm aware. I'll go to my nest when it begins raining." His eyes flickered away from her and he watched Wintersky talk to the leader and the deputy quietly. "Did you do some training today?" He already knew the answer but he hated awkward silence more then her rambling.

Honeypaw purred in amusement and sat down next to him. "Moonshine let me catch a frog today! It was so much fun! She showed me how to jump like a frog and how to-"

He stopped listening and gazed around the clearing curiously. Everyone was quickly moving around the camp and navigating around each other before the rain came. He watched Amberpool and Duckpelt patch up the nursery and Amberpool was giggling, smiling at Duckpelt and her amber eyes shone in amusement. What was so funny about patching up a den? Nothing. It was a simple job.

Flamewing and Streakpaw were padding in camp chatting happily, probably about Streakpaw's training. He was a nice tom and very strong, happy. Ashcloud and Oakstorm had definitely raised him up well. He was probably the only apprentice that Shadekit respected.

Shadekit turned away from Streakpaw and looked at Ravenclaw who was pacing near the entrance of camp now and looking worried and concerned and scared. This worried him greatly.

"Ravenclaw!" Clumsystep stumbled into the clearing, glancing around curiously. "We have her." Raindusk, Springleap, and Featherbreeze entered the clearing with the gray she-cat with the black tail and her scary, flashing amber eyes that Ravenclaw had described to Wintersky. This was the cat that Ravenclaw said was "dangerous".

The deputy rose his head and looked at the she-cat with narrowed eyes. He looked unhappy. "Tell me your name," he ordered and lashed his tail in irritation. Cats began to gather around the unknown she-cat and Ravenclaw.

She tilted her head at Ravenclaw, and gave a small smile. Her voice was low and dark and she seemed to be threatening Ravenclaw, yet something about it soothed Shadekit. "If you do not know who I am, Ravenclaw, be glad. Because I will ruin your entire world." Her amber eyes flashed and she turned her head, pausing once she found Shadekit. The she-cat examined him for a heartbeat and kept looking around the clearing.

"Take her to the prisoner's den, Springleap," Ravenclaw ordered, staring at the she-cat with a straight, unnerved face. He didn't seem to take her threat seriously. "At dusk Raindusk will take your place guarding her." The turned away from the warriors as Springleap took the she-cat to the entrance of camp and Ravenclaw retreated into Beestar's den, who didn't come out of her den for some odd reason.

A tail on Shadekit's back made him jump and he looked back to see Hollypath looking down at him with a straight face. "Come, Shadekit. You should've come back when they brought the dangerous she-cat into the camp," Hollypath mewe gently, watching Springleap escort her out of camp.

The prisoner's den was not too far off. It was directly in front of the lake and it was just a large tree that was hollowed out on the inside. There was one way in and one way out and no one escaped it.

"Sorry, Hollypath," he mumbled, still curious about the she-cat. Why did Ravenclaw why her as a prisoner? Why did he send cats on patrols to find her? Why was she so important? The prophecy flashed through his mind: _A lurking cat will bring war to the Clans._ Maybe Ravenclaw or Beestar knew about the prophecy and they were trying to stop the cat from starting the war.

He blindly followed his mother back into the nursery and instantly recognized Coalkit, Icekit, and Leafykit lying in their nests and they were talking happily, squealing and laughing loudly. They barely noticed me.

Shadekit glanced behind him at the entrance where a little bit of light was shining through. He felt a little bit of fear jump into his throat and he closed his eyes tightly and pushed back his fear before walking forward. Something about the she-cat gave him a bad feeling.


	4. Chapter Two: Losing a Life

**CHAPTER TWO**

 _Snow fell lightly from the sky_ and Shadekit sat outside the nursery and looked up at the cloudy sky, watching a snowflake land directly on his nose and he lowered his head, glancing around curiously. It had been a moon since the she-cat, which I learned her name was Astrid, had been captured and taken as prisoner.

Honeypaw sat beside him, smiling warmly. In the past moon she'd learned to talk less and she was quite kind. Her yellow pelt shimmered and she let out a small sneeze, puffing out her fur. "I can't believe it's snowing already!" she purred in amusement and then looked over at him.

He flicked his ear and looked around, seeing Duckpelt leaving the camp to relieve Dovesong of watching Astrid. Ravenclaw and Beestar were standing under the hazel branch, looking up at the sky and Whispersong and Thunderpaw entered with herbs in their jaws. Whispersong looked concerned about the snow but otherwise they didn't seem to mind it. With bad weather came bad sickness.

"I can't wait to become an apprentice and train," he mumbled to Honeypaw and felt himself grow weary. It would be about four more moons until he would become an apprentice but every muscle in his body wanted to race out of camp and explore the territory.

The apprentice next to him opened her jaws to respond but Moonshine quickly cut her off and yowled from across the clearing, "Honeypaw, let's get to fixing the elder's den!"

Honeypaw sprung to her paws and smiled at Shadekit before yelling, "See you later!" And padded through the snow and to her mentor, listening to her speak and nodding happily. The elder's den had a draft in it and Beestar was worried about Whiteeyes' health this leafbare. He was getting old.

Then again, so was Beestar. She had a gray muzzle and her eyes were dull and unlifelike. She was going through the motions but Ravenclaw was helping her through the last moons of her life.

"Shadekit? Are you alright?" Hollypath was beside him now, looking down at him with soft, caring green eyes. "Don't worry, you'll be an apprentice in four moons. It'll go by in a flash." She smiled warmly, causing Shadekit to perk up a little.

He parted his jaws in a yawn, shaking out his fur. "I'm alright," he mewed, a little hesitant. He was ready to curl up in his nest and take a nap for four moons, but that was unrealistic. "I was talking to Honeypaw, but she had to clean the elder's den." He flicked his tail to where the 'paw and Moonshine were speaking with Whiteeyes outside the elder's den. _I would give anything to help fix that den._ His paws itched to do something, but he couldn't.

"Don't you worry, you will be apprenticed soon." Hollypath let out a small laugh and then her ears pricked and her eyes flickered to the entrance.

Shadekit followed her gaze curiously, not seeing anything until a large black-and-white creature bursted through the camp entrance, Amberpool on it's back with her claws dug into its skin and her teeth sunk into its shoulder, Wintersky and Coldpaw bursted in camp after it and got on their back legs, working together to fight it.

Hollypath grabbed Shadekit by the scruff, surprising him and she hauled him into the nursery, setting him down in his nest and she whipped around, racing back out into the clearing.

Nightsnow, Leafykit, Coalkit, and Icekit were all in the den, looking frightened. Leafykit was crouched down low next to him, her eyes wide. She glanced over at Nightsnow who was wrapped around her kits in her nest, mumbling to them quietly.

"She said it was a badger," Leafykit mumbled to Shadekit, seeing her shiver in fear. They were all aware of the badger attack so long ago that cost many cats their life. Badgers were dangerous. "At least they're dealing with the badger problem now before they had any kits."

She had a point. Better now to chase them out than for them to take more of our territory. It was odd that they were just now attacking, at the beginning of leaf-bare.

Shadekit rose to his paws and stepped out of the nest, padding to the entrance and peeking outside. Through the snow falling lightly, he could make out two badgers in the clearing, both being fought strongly by two groups: the first one was Beestar, Amberpool, Wintersky, Coldpaw, and Springleap. The second one consisted of Ravenclaw, Moonshine, Lionpaw, Oakstorm, and Lionfur. They looked strong, confident, and brave as they fought.

He could see Hollypath crouching in the elder's den with Whiteeyes, Streakpaw, and Ashcloud behind him. They were all either too young, too old, or a mother. They shouldn't be fighting so it was good they were hiding. Then again, Beestar shouldn't be fighting either.

"How is it looking?" He heard Nightsnow call from behind him.

"We're winning," he said with ease. He watched the first badger whack Springleap away and Beestar jumped on its back, sinking her claws deep into its back. It rolled onto its back, crushing Beestar underneath it and then Wintersky, Coldpaw, and Amberpool chased it out of camp. Wintersky fled to Beestar while the others turned their attention to the second badger. They chased it out with ease. "They're gone now."

Springleap and Oakstorm raced out after them, probably to make sure they left and then his eyes flickered to where Beestar laid on the ground, unmoving. Wintersky was at his side and Ravenclaw raced over to her. Suddenly, she began spasming around and then she stopped moving altogether.

Fear struck him but then Beestar sat up suddenly and she looked wore out. Did she just lose a life?

Thunderpaw and Whispersong raced into the clearing with herbs in their jaws, moving to the wounded cats, starting with Beestar. She looked exhausted.

Shadekit dug his claws into the ground with worry and watched Beestar stand up, let out a loud yowl, "Gather beneath the hazel branch for a Clan meeting!"

He glanced back at his denmates who stood to go join the others in the clearing and he slipped out of the den, His ears pricked and he gazed at Beestar as she jumped up onto the hazel branch, wobbling a little.

"Lionpaw, please step forward," Beestar mewed and Lionpaw looked surprised but stepped forward, facing Beestar. "I, Beestar, leader of Beestar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Lionpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Lionpaw mewed loudly with pride, "I do."

Beestar spoke loudly as well, "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Lionpaw, from this moment you will be known as Lioncall. StarClan honors your courage and skill in battle, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." She jumped down from the branch and rested her muzzle on his head and he licked her shoulder.

"Lioncall! Lioncall!" the Clan cheered loudly and proudly.

The leader waved her tail for attention. "Lioncall will sit vigil tonight to protect us." She paused for a heartbeat and then nodded padding over to the medicine den and slipping inside.

Shadekit admired Lioncall's skill in battle also he felt a tinge of jealousy that he was a warrior. He couldn't wait to become a warrior.

 _When I become an apprentice I will fight everything that stands in my way of being a warrior!_


	5. Chapter Three: Pride Isn't Always Bad

**Sorry guys! I forgot to post before I went on a vacation. I just flew in last night and I'm exhausted but here's a chapter! Enjoy 3**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE**

" _Shadekit, where is Hollypath?" Dovesong stood_ in front of him with brown eyes looking a little worried and she looked eager. "She's supposed to be on patrol with Flamewing, Streakpaw, and I." There was some slight irritation in her voice.

He shook his head, turning his head back to where Whispersong was talking to Beestar outside her den. It had been nearly two moons since the badgers attacked camp and Lioncall became a warrior. With every passing day, Shadekit was more and more eager to go outside of camp. He still had about two moons until he could become an apprentice.

Dovesong let out a loud, frustrated sigh and turned away from him, padding to the warrior's den. It wasn't his job to always know where Hollypath was.

Creamsky slipped into the clearing, his eyes dark with worry. His cream-furred pelt quivered in fear and his amber eyes searched the clearing briefly. They landed on Ravenclaw who was thoughtfully chewing a mouse. He seemed relatively happy.

Shadekit pricked his ears in interest. What was Creamsky so worried about? He thought back to last night when Snowmask was let off duty. Didn't Creamsky take her place? If so, why was he here? No one was supposed to let him off duty until dusk.

"Ravenclaw?" Creamsky mewed and padded across the clearing to the black deputy who pricked his ears curiously. "I need to speak with you…" He looked very uncomfortable and Shadekit got a bad feeling.

The deputy flicked his tail for Creamsky to sit beside him and he swallowed the mouse in his jaws. "What is it?" He paused briefly, eyeing Creamsky. "Aren't you supposed to be watching Astrid?"

Creamsky nodded and Shadekit saw the fear flashed through his eyes. "Yes, actually, that's what I wanted to talk with you about…" He sucked in a deep breath and then spit it out, "Astrid escaped!"

Ravenclaw's ears flattened on his head and he rose to his paws. Furiosity held in his light eyes. "Get Wintersky, Shadowclaw, and Clumsystep," he ordered instantly. "Tell them to start searching the twoleg place. I will get Moonshine, Mudstorm, and Honeypaw and we will start searching the territory. Tell no one about Astrid's escape," he ordered and then dashed away to find the warriors he listed.

The cream-furred warrior nodded in agreement and raced off to the warriors den to find his patrol as well.

Shadekit smirked a little. _Don't tell anyone?_ he thought and rose to his paws, searching the clearing casually and then spotting Frostlight, the most talkative, loud-mouthed cat in ShadowClan. He padded over to her and sat down, looking up at her. She was sitting in the sun with snow surrounding her, her eyes closed lightly. But when he sat down she opened her bright blue eyes and smiled.

"Word around camp is that Astrid escaped," Shadekit mewed, his ear twitching. Frostlight tilted her head, seeming interested. "Yeah, on Creamsky's watch no less." He curled his tail around himself neatly and watch Frostlight sit up a little. "But don't tell anyone. It'd be bad if this got out…" Shadekit hid his smirk behind a small cough, trying not to give away the fact that he wanted her to tell everyone.

Frostlight nodded in agreement with him excitedly. "Of course. I won't tell anyone." She glanced around, as if already looking for someone to tell. "Thanks for the information…" She slipped away from him and he watched the white she-cat slip over to Fallenpine, Duckpelt, and Sunclaw's small group. She instantly began talking and they instantly began listening. Easy.

That would surely cause some trouble with Ravenclaw. It was always amusing to see how Ravenclaw got out of all things he was accused of. Last moon Ashcloud was caught sneaking food from the twolegs and Ravenclaw punished her with a warning. The Clan went into an uproar and Ashcloud was sentenced to a moon for cleaning the dens after he defended her for a good while. No one ever knew it was him who spread the things Ravenclaw didn't want heard.

"Shadekit?" Coldpaw's voice startled him and he turned around, seeing the calm black tom looking at him with warmly, despite his name which he got for constantly being cold and his lack of fur. "I think Leafykit was looking for you in the nursery." He smelled like dirty moss, Wintersky probably assigned him to cleaning the dens while she went looking for the missing kittypet. "Although I need you to stay out of there because I'm cleaning it." He flicked his tail to the apprentice's den. "I think they went over there with Streakpaw." He shrugged and padded over to the medicine cat's den, probably for more clean moss.

He nodded and watched him go before padding over to the apprentice's den, hearing voices inside he stuck his head in and saw Streakpaw, Leafykit, Coalkit, and Icekit all talking and sitting in nests. He slipped inside and plopped down in the nest next to Streakpaw and Coalkit. Icekit sat in the nest next to Leafykit who sat behind Coalkit.

"Nice of you to join us," Leafykit purred in amusement, her leafy green eyes sparkling. "Streakpaw was just teaching us about the warrior code. We figured we should start learning early to impress our mentors."

Streakpaw nodded in agreement at Leafykit and then continued, "Rule three: elders, queens, and kits must be fed before anyone else, unless apprentice's have permission or have hunted to feed the elders." He had a clear, calm, deep voice. It was easy to listen to Streakpaw talk due to this, especially since Shadekit didn't actually know all the warrior code yet. "Rule four: prey is killed only to be eaten. You must give thanks to StarClan for its life. Rule five: a kit must be six moons or older to be apprenticed." He looked at all of us with a serious face. "Rule six: a newly appointed warrior must sit a silent vigil for one night after receiving their warrior name."

Coalkit interrupted him now, "What if you don't keep a silent vigil? Will you not get a warrior name?"

The apprentice tilted his head at Coalkit. "Well, maybe in the eyes of StarClan you won't have a warrior name. But I don't know why you would talk while under the gaze of StarClan, they are so powerful and amazing." He shivered a little. "Anyways, rule seven: a cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice, also she-cat deputies and leaders cannot have kits. Medicine cats can't have kits either. Rule eight: the deputy will become leader if the leader dies, retires or is exiled. Rule nine: after the death or retirement of a deputy, a new one must be chosen before moonhigh."

"But Bluestar didn't chose one before moonhigh," Icekit piped up, gazing at Streakpaw with wide eyes. "Whiteeyes was telling us about ThunderClan and an old leader named Bluestar and she didn't pick a deputy before moonhigh. Does that mean that she wasn't accepted into StarClan?"

Streakpaw nodded thoughtfully. "I believe she was but StarClan must've been furious with her. Rule ten: a Gathering of all four Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There is no fighting among Clans at this time. This rule has been broken quite a bit actually, usually StarClan will cover the moon to show they are angry. Rule eleven: borders must be checked and marked daily and trespassers must be challenged. Rule twelve: no warrior can ignore a kit in pain, even if the kit is from another Clan. Rule thirteen: the word of the Clan leader is code. And you should never challenge them. Rule fourteen: in battle a warrior does not kill to win unless it is self-defense. Rule fifteen: a warrior must reject the soft, easy life of a kittypet. And rule sixteen: each Clan has the right to be proud and independent, but in times of trouble they must forget their borders and fight side by side to protect the four. Each Clan must help the others so that no Clan will fall," Streakpaw finished proudly and looked at us. "Any questions?"

"Wasn't rule sixteen put in place by Bramblestar after the battle with the badgers, the dark forest, and the great flood?" Shadekit asked, looking at Streakpaw with interest. He'd heard stories about Bramblestar.

He nodded at Shadekit. "Very good. Yes it was. Any other questions?"

Now Shadekit tuned out, remember rule one: _defend your Clan even at the cost of your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans but you must remain loyal to your Clan._ Rule two: _do not hunt or trespass in other Clan's territories. With the exception of the Gathering and medicine cats going to moonpool, as well as when asking for help. However, hunting on another Clan's territory is never okay._ Shadekit felt proud that he knew the rules of the Clans. His mentor would be impressed.

Suddenly, he thought about his mentor. Who would Beestar choose as his mentor? Shadowclaw? Lionfur? Sunclaw? He needed a strong, fierce, brave, courageous, loyal warrior for his mentor so they could teach him skills his denmates wouldn't know. He'd even take Crowflight as his mentor, despite him being a kittypet before he joined ShadowClan.

"There you are!" Hollypath's voice cut off his thoughts and he turned around to see her standing at the entrance of the den. "Come on kits, dusk is falling and it's time to head back to the nursery." She nodded at Streakpaw for a heartbeat. "Thank you for watching them." And then her head disappeared as we all clamored out of the den, yelling our thank yous to Streakpaw as we left.

The clear was dark and snow fell from the sky again. It was rather cold as we traveled across the clearing to the nursery. He made out the shape of Ravenclaw and Beestar outside her den talking in very low voices. They both seemed worried.

He smiled to himself and slipped into the nursery, his eyes adjusting to the darkness and then he padded to his nest, hearing his denmates crawl into theirs. Nightsnow was already in her nest and she purred when Icekit and Coalkit entered the den. He rolled his eyes as he curled up in his nest and closed his eyes lightly, feeling himself warm up a bit and drift into a deep sleep.

"Shadekit! Shadekit!" Four soft paws hit his stomach and he sat up, his eyes open wide as he gazed about the nursery. Leafykit was at the edge of his nest, smiling widely. "Hollypath needs to groom you! Come on!"

Shadekit rose to his paws and stretched, a little confused but he said nothing as he climbed out of his nest and let his mother eagerly groom his fur. He looked over to see Nightsnow grooming Icekit and Coalkit standing proudly, waiting. Coalkit was way than Leafykit and Icekit but Shadekit was definitely the biggest kit.

And then it hit him: their apprentice ceremony was today. Fear struck his stomach but he pushed it down with his excitement. How could he have forgotten?

A loud yowl made Shadekit's stomach flip-flop and he heard Beestar talking faintly.

"It's time," Springleap mewed, suddenly at the entrance and Leafykit slipped out of the den and Shadekit hurried after, hearing his other, Nightsnow, Coalkit, and Icekit rushing after.

"Coalkit, Icekit, Leafykit, and Shadekit step forward!" Beestar yowled watching as the Clan parted to let us through. Shadekit stood beside his sibling with pride, probably one of the only times he'd ever been seen with her feeling prideful. "Coalkit, Icekit, Leafykit, and Shadekit you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you all to be apprenticed. Coalkit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Coalpaw. Your mentor will be Crowflight. I hope Crowflight will pass down all he knows on to you." She summoned Crowflight with a flick of her tail. "Crowflight, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Ravenclaw, and you have shown yourself to be brave and loyal. You will be the mentor of Coalpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Coalpaw." They touched noses and moved to the edge of the clearing.

"Icekit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Icepaw. Your mentor will be Lioncall. I hope Lioncall will pass down all he knows on to you." She flicked her tail and Lioncall stepped forward. "Lioncall, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Ashcloud, and you have shown yourself to be strong and intelligent. You will be the mentor of Icepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Icepaw." They also touched noses and moved to the edge of the clearing.

Shadekit glanced at his sister. She seemed ready to burst with pride. He couldn't wait for it to be his turn.

Beestar continued, "Leafykit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Leafypaw. Your mentor will be Clumsystep. I hope Clumsystep will pass down all he knows on to you." Clumsystep stepped forward without hesitation. "Clumsystep, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Slateleaf, and you have shown yourself to be skilled in battle and courageous. You will be the mentor of Leafypaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Leafypaw." They touched noses and stood beside his denmates.

The clearing was silent as Beestar faced Shadekit. He wanted to jump with joy but he didn't, he held himself down like a real apprentice.

"Shadekit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Shadepaw. Your mentor will be Ravenclaw. I hope Ravenclaw will pass down all he knows on to you." She flicked her tail and Ravenclaw stepped out from under the hazel branch and stood beside him. "Ravenclaw, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Wintersky, and you have shown yourself to be loyal, patient, and determined. You will be the mentor of Shadepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Shadepaw," Beestar finished.

Ravenclaw touched his nose to Shadepaw's and he held in a purr of satisfaction. Ravenclaw was perfect. He was strong, brave, courageous, intelligent. Everything he wanted in a mentor.

"What're we doing first?" he asked, flicking his tail in anticipation. He wanted to learn battle moves and go hunt down a mouse. His claws sunk into the ground in excitement. He couldn't wait!

The deputy smiled warmly at Shadepaw. "Today we will be exploring the territory. Letting you get to know where you will be putting your paws for the rest of your life," he mewed and watched Coalpaw, Icepaw, Crowflight, and Lioncall leave camp. Clumsystep and Leafypaw was nowhere to be seen. "Let's head off, shall we?" He led Shadepaw across camp and to the entrance. He felt his paw tingle in excitement.

His first step out of camp. They slipped through the entrance and instantly, the newleaf wind hit him. The snow had melted this moon and now newleaf was upon them, bringing warmth and prey. Outside the camp, pine trees lumbered high in the sky. He looked up, seeing the branches covering the sky as far as his eye could see. Ahead he glimpsed the shiny, blue lake and his paws tingled in excitement again. He padded after Ravenclaw, looking around in awe.

"Over there," Ravenclaw mewed, interrupting his thoughts, "is RiverClan territory. That's where we will be going first." He happily began to pad in the direction he pointed. "What can you tell me about RiverClan?"

Shadepaw raked his memory. "They enjoy swimming and catching fish. They're generally well-fed and plump and they've been trying to start fights with ShadowClan for many moons," he mewed confidently. He knew a lot about RiverClan and ThunderClan due to the fact they were neighbors, however he knew nothing about WindClan.

His mentor nodded approvingly. "Very good, Shadepaw. They also have long fur and glossy coats due to the water. They're rather clever for mastering swimming and strong because of how well-fed they are." Ravenclaw strong suddenly and Shadepaw could see a halfbridge and what seemed like a twoleg nest facing the water. "This is RiverClan's border. Go ahead, take in their scent."

Cautiously, he stepped forward, parting his jaws and taking in the scent of fish and water. He glanced around noticing the border was just right in front of them and on the other side, he could see some trees and a stream. The fishy scent was very strong.

"Come now, let's leave before a RiverClan border patrol comes along," he purred in amusement and turned away, following their scent back to where they came from. "Next we're going to see the ThunderClan border. What can you tell me about them?"

Shadepaw watched the ground as they walked. "ThunderClan is not mindful of the warrior code, they're often found breaking it. However, we get our hunting techniques from them and usually they hunt squirrels, birds, mice, and voles. They're brave and fierce, however we do not fear them." He lashed his tail, thinking about teaching ThunderClan a lesson. They were always crossing borders and getting into ShadowClan's business.

Ravenclaw nodded. "Very good. They're also very good at climbing trees and yes, they do not care for the warrior code like we do." He let out a grunt, as if remembering something but he continued on. "While we walk, tell me about WindClan."

"I don't know much about WindClan since we don't share a border with them…" he mewed truthfully, glancing sideways and seeing the camp entrance. They passed right on by. "I know they're fast and they live on the moor."

He laughed and nodded hello to Wintersky and Coldpaw as they whisked by. "That's okay, it's good you know something at least. They're easily offended and very fast. They are very quick to flee and very skittish. They mainly eat rabbits and usually have short fur. They are always very skinny and have long legs. But they're very loyal to WindClan and to the warrior code." His tail began to twitch back and forth and he stopped. "ThunderClan border. Can you smell the birds and the trees?"

Shadepaw took in a deep breath, catching scent of the birds. He could see another halfbridge through the trees. ThunderClan didn't have pine trees like ShadowClan. They had trees with leaves. A strong scent of ThunderClan washed over him and he looked at Ravenclaw curiously, but he didn't seem worried.

"Ravenclaw!" a gray-and-white tom slipped in through the bushes, smiling warmly at Ravenclaw and Shadepaw. He stopped beside the border as two more cats, one a black she-cat and the other a tortoiseshell she-cat. "How are you doing? How is ShadowClan?"

His mentor smiled back, surprisingly enough. "Mousewhisker, nice to see you. I am doing well, as is ShadowClan. This is my apprentice, Shadepaw. Shadepaw this is Mousewhisker, Leafmoon, and Hollytuft." He flicked his tail at the ThunderClan warriors.

Shadepaw's eyes narrowed but he just responded calmly, "Nice to meet you." He wanted to chase them away but he dug his claws into the ground deep and just gave a small nod.

Mousewhisker purred in amusement. "Nice to meet you, Shadepaw." He looked back at Hollytuft, the black she-cat, and Leafmoon, the tortoiseshell she-cat. They marked the border quickly. "Well we better be on our way. Bye Ravenclaw!" He waved his tail as they continued on.

Ravenclaw said nothing and turned to Shadepaw. "To the greenleaf twoleg place now. Come on." He padded away and called behind him, "What can you tell me about ShadowClan?"

What couldn't Shadepaw tell him about ShadowClan. "We are ambitious and strong. We hunt frogs and lizards among mice and birds and occasionally squirrels. We hunt better at night and we are very good at sneaking through the undergrowth without being seen. The greenleaf twoleg place is a secret source of prey for us. Rats will appear there, scavenging for food left by the twolegs and we hunt them. We also sometimes take the crow-food left by the twolegs although we must be careful not to eat the bad parts of it," he mewed confidently, feeling proud of himself. "The other Clans call us wily and proud. But we're just clever."

"Very good." Ravenclaw seemed impressed. "Now, tell me about StarClan, SkyClan, and StrikeClan."

He knew very little about SkyClan but he knew enough about StarClan and StrikeClan. "StarClan are our wise ancestors. When a cat dies they go to StarClan. We look to them for guidance and they usually give it to us." The prophecy given to him flashed through his mind and he shivered, pushing it away. "SkyClan have an ability to jump high and walk on stone with their tough pads. They have strong, muscular back legs. They usually hunt birds."

Ravenclaw glanced behind him at Shadepaw, nodding. "Yes. SkyClan is agile and determined. They live far off in the gorge and they're very good at climbing trees. They also hunt mice. And now StrikeClan."

"StrikeClan is ferocious and strong. They killed many of our cats in a fierce battle. Their leader, Crowstar, was once ShadowClan's deputy. They camped in ShadowClan's secondary camp for a while and now we don't know where they went. They hunted exactly what ShadowClan hunted and are mostly known for their dangerous battle moves," he mewed, remembering Whiteeyes' stories of StrikeClan. Even the stories made Shadepaw fear them.

The deputy nodded a little, as if remembering the fierce battle between ShadowClan and StrikeClan. "Very good, Shadepaw," he mumbled and Ravenclaw swallowed hard. "I can see you're well taught."

Shadepaw actually smiled, enjoying the praise. He wished he was alive then, he would've destroyed StrikeClan.

Suddenly, a soft, honey-like voice echoed around him, " _A lurking cat will bring war to the Clans._ "


	6. Chapter Four: Our New Leader

**CHAPTER FOUR**

 _Sunlight shone down on Shadepaw and_ he looked up at the bright blue, cloudless sky. Some branches gave him a little shade but otherwise he was heating up by the sun's rays. He could feel himself grow warmer and sweat harder. He glanced around, noting the trees and bushes surrounding the clearing beside ShadowClan camp. Pine needles covered the ground under his paws and across the clearing sat Ravenclaw who was watching him with calm, interested, and amused light eyes. He sat in the shady part of the clearing.

"Keep going, Shadepaw! Whiteeyes needs some new moss for his nest," Ravenclaw mewed and heard him give a small sigh.

Shadepaw let out a huff of irritation and cut another piece of moss, shooting a glare behind him at Ravenclaw. This wasn't how Shadepaw wanted to spend his second day as an apprentice. Icepaw, Coalpaw, and Leafypaw got to start hunting training and he got to empty Whiteeyes' nest, cut moss, make sure the moss didn't have thorns in it, and then fill Whiteeyes' nest. Ravenclaw was very specific about checking the moss. Plus the heat was really strong today. He'd only been out of camp for a few heartbeats.

He looked back at Ravenclaw. "I have enough now," he called and gathered the moss, shoving some in his mouth and then trotting away, hearing Ravenclaw hurry after him. He slipped into camp and set the moss down outside the elder's den.

Whiteeyes had evacuated the elder's den and he filled his nest with moss before exiting the den, glaring at Ravenclaw who was sitting down right outside and smiling at him warmly..

"It's only sunhigh. Can we-" Ravenclaw cut him off quickly, mewing, "The extra moss needs to go in the medicine den."

Shadepaw looked down at the extra moss and then at Ravenclaw, glaring even heavier. But he picked it up in his jaws and raced to the medicine den, slipping inside and seeing Honeypaw sitting down with her paw in front of Thunderpaw. The apprentice was examining it and Whispersong was nowhere to be seen. He set the moss down and then exited the den, almost running into Ravenclaw.

"Very good. Now, yes, we may practice some hunting moves," Ravenclaw mewed and flicked his tail. "Follow me." He padded away from Shadepaw and out of camp quickly and Shadepaw felt excitement in his stomach as Ravenclaw led him to the edge of camp where he collected the moss. "Copy," he said simply and dropped down low, bringing all his weight onto his back paws, lifting one paw and gently setting it down.

He recalled this from when Springleap taught him and he dropped down as well, pricking his ears, parting his jaw, his tail hovering the ground and his belly fur brushing the ground. He bunched up his haunches and distributed all his weight to his back legs.

Ravenclaw seemed impressed and he nodded. "Now pounce." His tail flicked at a small plant growing through the pine needles.

Shadepaw gave a small smirk, knowing that Ravenclaw expected him to fail but he wiggled his hind quarters and then pushed off, landing directly on the little flower and crushing it under his weight. He smugly looked at his mentor, knowing full well he was ahead in his apprentice training.

Suddenly, Shadowclaw bursted into the clearing, looking at us with wide eyes. "Ravenclaw, it's Beestar. Whispersong says she's not feeling so good and that you need to come to the clearing, now!" he mewed in a panicked voice.

His mentor jumped up and looked at him with worry. "Let's go, Shadepaw!" he ordered and then darted past Shadowclaw and Shadepaw raced after him, skirting around Shadowclaw and hearing him rushing after. He was slightly worried about Beestar being sick.

They bursted into camp and every cat was in the clearing. Ravenclaw was racing to the leader's den and Shadepaw raced after him, entering the leader's den after him.

Inside, Whispersong was sitting next to Beestar who had drooping eyes and she had short, raspy breaths. Ravenclaw raced up to Beestar and mumbled something to her. She didn't respond.

"I don't think she has much longer, Ravenclaw," Whispersong whispered, looking at Beestar with sad eyes. "It's time to say your goodbyes."

Shadowclaw was standing at the entrance to the den, looking at Beestar with tears in his eyes. He sniffled loudly and padded up to his mother, burying his nose in her fur and closing his eyes tightly.

Beestar moved a little and looked at Ravenclaw, coughing a little. "StarClan is calling, Ravenclaw. It is your time" She took in a deep, raspy breath. "I am so grateful to have led ShadowClan for so l-long," she whispered and closed her eyes, looking at Shadowclaw. "You are so brave, Shadowclaw. You will be okay, I promise." She broke off into a coughing fit and then set her head on the edge of her nest. "Puddleheart, Softheart, Needleflower, Nightfur, Lightheart, Feathersong, Stonefang, Wasptail, Stonetooth, Cloudsong, they're all here to bring me to StarClan." She let out a slight gasp, spasmed and then went limp.

"Beestar!?" Whispersong jumped to her paws and touched her nose to her fur and then backed up a little. "She's gone," Whispersong whispered and shook her head slowly.

Ravenclaw cleared his throat and grabbed Beestar and Shadowclaw grabbed her too and they brought her out into the clearing.

Whispersong turned around and jumped when she saw Shadepaw. "I didn't know you were in here," she whispered and nodded at him before moving around him and exiting the den. Shadepaw followed after and saw all the cats in the clearing with their heads bowed. They set Beestar up in a laying position and Ravenclaw turned to Whispersong.

"Whispersong is taking me to the moonpool right now. Before I leave I wish to pick a deputy. I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of ShadowClan is Wintersky," Ravenclaw mewed loudly.

Everyone's gazed turned to the pure white she-cat who had her light blue eyes wide in surprise. "T-Thank you, Ravenclaw. I am so honored to be awarded the deputy position. I will serve ShadowClan for many moons." She dipped her head to Ravenclaw and then looked around. "Be safe on your trip."

Ravenclaw dipped his head at her as well and then Whispersong led the way out of camp with Ravenclaw following.

Wintersky padded to Beestar's body and laid down, pushing her nose into Beestar's fur and began sitting vigil. Shadowclaw and Lionfur sat around Beestar too.

Shadepaw looked down at the ground and deeply dug his claws into the ground. Ravenclaw couldn't teach him anything else the rest of the night so he had the rest of the night and some of the morning to himself. He padded to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed a thrush and padded to the edge of the clearing near the apprentices den and laid down, sinking his teeth into the bird.

Leafypaw padded over to Shadepaw with Icepaw, Honeypaw, and Coalpaw laid down next to him. Icepaw and Coalpaw had a squirrel and Leafypaw and Honeypaw had a mouse.

"Poor Beestar," Leafypaw mewed quietly, looking at Beestar's limp body with sadness. "Ravenclaw will be a great leader though. He is loyal and strong and he always knows what to do."

Shadepaw's mind flickered back to Astrid. They hadn't found her when they weren't searching. That was Ravenclaw's fault for letting her escape. But he still respected his mentor and new leader.

Icepaw quickly piped up, "In four sunrises it'll be the Gathering. Do you think we will get to go?"

"Shadepaw will," Coalpaw mewed, looking up at us with a straight face. He didn't look happy. "Because he's so ahead in training and so smug-" He cut himself off and shook his head. "Because you're oh so perfect." His eyes rolled.

Shadepaw looked at Coalpaw with a tilted head and narrowed his eyes. "Do you have something to say to me, Coalpaw?" he asked, feeling irritated. "Say it."

Coalpaw rose to his paws, glaring down at Shadepaw. "Yes, I have something to say to you. You're all smug and impolite to everyone yet we treat you with respect and kindness when you don't deserve it. Yes, you are ahead in your training and yes, the deputy, soon to be the leader of ShadowClan, is your mentor. We get it, you're so much better than us."

He rose to his paws also, glaring at Coalpaw. "I have never once bragged about any of this. You clearly have a problem." Shadepaw lashed his tail. He'd never once bragged about being better in his training or that he got the best mentor. "Now, if you would, kindly, please, get out of my face," he growled and stepped away from Coalpaw and padded towards the apprentice's den.

"Don't you dare walk away from me you mouse-hearted piece of fox-dung!" he growled and Shadepaw turned around to face Coalpaw. "You have been treating us all like crow-food since we could speak and I am sick of it, Shadepaw." His tail lashed in anger. "Apologize to us or else."

Shadepaw tilted his head, feeling his anger boiling up "Apologize for what? I have done nothing wrong. You should apologize to me for treating me this way!" he snapped at Coalpaw, looking at him with angry eyes. How dare Coalpaw treat him like this? "Do you all feel this way?" He turned and faced Icepaw, Honeypaw, and Leafypaw.

They all shook their heads no but Honeypaw spoke up, "I feel as though Shadepaw respects us. He's a good friend."

He looked at Coalpaw with a straight face and turned around, padding into the apprentice's den and lying in his nest her curled up and closed his eyes, letting himself drift to sleep, still feeling his anger boiling.

Shadepaw sat outside the apprentice's den, looking at the entrance to the camp, waiting for Ravenclaw to come back to camp. He was nervous for his mentor.

Suddenly, the black warrior entered camp with Whispersong following after him excitedly. Everyone froze to looked at him.

"Everyone, I have an announcement!" Ravenclaw mewed loudly. "StarClan has given me my nine lives and name and I am now Ravenstar!" He smiled and looked around at everyone. "I promise to lead ShadowClan with patience, loyalty, confidence, integrity, open-mindedness, decisiveness, and strength," Ravenstar mewed loudly with confidence, smiling at everyone with warmth.

"Ravenstar! Ravenstar! Ravenstar!" the Clan cheered, Shadepaw being the loudest.

Beestar was now buried at the side of the camp by Whiteeyes, Shadowclaw, and Clumsystep. He was relieved that she was out of the clearing. It was creepy.

He raised his head high in pride and Ravenstar padded to his new den and Whispersong and Wintersky followed after him.

 _You'd better keep your word on keeping us strong, Ravenstar. I'm not afraid to talk you down._


	7. Chapter Five: Just The Beginning

**CHAPTER FIVE**

" _I, Ravenstar, leader of ShadowClan, call_ upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Honeypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Ravenstar asked, standing in front of Honeypaw. He seemed more excited than she did. It was his first ceremony as a leader.

Honeypaw purred loud and proud, "I do."

Ravenstar continued the ceremony, "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Honeypaw, from this moment you will be known as Honeycloud. StarClan honors your intelligence and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." He rested his head gently on her head and she licked his shoulder and he turned to Coldpaw who was almost bouncing with excitement. "I, Ravenstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Coldpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Coldpaw sucked in a deep breath and nodded firmly. "I do." He sounded confident.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Coldpaw, from this moment you will be known as Coldfeather. StarClan honors your independence and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan," Ravenstar mewed and rested his head on Coldfeather's and he licked Ravenstar's shoulder.

"Honeycloud! Coldfeather! Honeycloud! Coldfeather!" the Clan cheered and Shadepaw was sure to only cheer for Honeycloud. Coldfeather had been disrespecting him ever since his little outburst just three sunrises before.

Their ceremony was today only because Ravenstar wanted them to go to the Gathering tomorrow. He had already agreed to let me go to the Gathering too.

"Shadepaw!" Ravenstar was standing in front of him now and he jumped a little, surprised. "Let's go do some battle training with Streakpaw." He flicked his tail to where Flamewing was waiting beside the entrance with Streakpaw.

He instantly felt his excitement soar and he nodded firmly to his mentor, padding to the entrance when Ravenstar at his side. Instantly, the two mentors began talking and led the way out of camp. Shadepaw walked beside Streakpaw, remembering how the 'paw had taught him about the warrior code when he was kit.

"How is your training going?" Shadepaw asked, feeling awkward as they rounded around camp, still hearing the hushed whispers of their mentors.

Streakpaw seemed surprised that Shadepaw had broken the silence. "Good, actually. Flamewing is a good mentor." He smiled lightly and gave a small nod. Shadepaw was grateful Streakpaw hadn't been there for Coldfeather's outburst.

Flamewing, Shadepaw knew, was Whiteeyes' apprentice when he was a 'paw. He was related to Duckpelt and Softheart, who'd died a few moons ago. Yellowbird and Yarrowfur were his parents however Yarrowfur did during a border skirmish with ThunderClan.

Shadepaw was very good at ShadowClan's history. He could go on about every cat in ShadowClan about their past.

"Shadepaw?" Ravenstar's voice scared him and he looked up, seeing that they were in the training hollow and they were all looking at him. He gave him a curt nod. "Anyways, we're going to try the belly rack. We will demonstrate."

Ravenstar crouched down low and faced Flamewing who faced him with ferocity and crouched down too. Then, suddenly, Ravenstar lunged at Flamewing, seeming to be aiming for his shoulder and Flamewing quickly went to defend himself and Ravenstar quickly switched to his other shoulder and attacked it with full force and Flamewing instantly crumpled to the ground. Ravenstar pinned him down and Flamewing then, claws sheathed, and ran his paws across Ravenstar's belly and pushed him off with great force.

"Wow!" Streakpaw purred in amusement, watching them with wide eyes. He seemed impressed. "That was awesome! Can we try?" He looked over at Shadepaw in excitement.

Flamewing looked at his apprentice with a smile. "Of course!" They both backed up and let us have room.

He crouched down and Streakpaw did too, narrowing his eyes and Streakpaw focused on Shadepaw's ears and he flattened them.

Then Streakpaw darted forward and Shadepaw ducked but Streakpaw paused right next to him and hit him hard in the side and Shadepaw stumbled a few steps before feeling Streakpaw tackle him and pin him down. Shadepaw copied Flamewing and raked his paw along Streakpaw's stomach and pushed up hard with his back legs, pushing Streakpaw off.

"Very good, both of you!" Ravenstar praised and his ears pricked and then a scent washed over Shadepaw. "Whispersong? What're you doing out here?"

The white she-cat with light blue eyes slipped into the clearing, her ears flat on her head as she gazed at us. "I have bad news…" She glanced down at the ground awkwardly and cleared her throat. "It's about Whiteeyes… He isn't feeling well and I think his time is coming."

Instantly Shadepaw felt his panic rising. Whiteeyes was very kind to him and Flamewing was close to Whiteeyes, definitely.

Leafypaw, Coalpaw, and Icepaw padded into the clearing, seeming to be a little panicked.

"Streakpaw, Shadepaw, Leafypaw, Coalpaw, and Icepaw you goto the ThunderClan border and then meet back at camp. I'm going to check on Whiteeyes." Ravenstar raced forward with Flamewing and Whispersong following after him.

Streakpaw smiled. "Let's head off!" He led the way towards ThunderClan's border, his mind racing about Whiteeyes. Would he be okay? Why did Ravenstar send them away?

The other apprentices were mumbling quietly until they reached the border and began marking it and then they all fell quiet.

"A group of apprentices on patrol?" a voice Shadepaw didn't recognize startled him and he looked up to see a very pale gray tom with black stripes in front of them with a fluffy white tom named Whitefur and a gray-and-white tom known as Dewnose. "ShadowClan must be struggling."

Leafypaw bared her teeth instantly. "Back away from the border or we'll show you how much we're struggling," she growled, showing no fear. Shadepaw was impressed.

Dewnose glanced at the two other cats. "You wouldn't dare cross the border. You're all weak." His tail lashed but his voice was calm. They were looking for a fight.

Coalpaw stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "You're all just a bunch of kittypets. I can't believe you let Firestar be leader of ThunderClan."

Now Whitefur stepped forward, almost crossing the border and Dewnose let out a growl, jumping right into Coalpaw and there were teeth and claws flying everywhere.

Shadepaw felt himself grow anxious now and he leaned in, grabbing Dewnose by the scruff and throwing him into Whitefur. "You crossed the border!" he growled.

"I guess they don't know the warrior code either," Coalpaw huffed and Shadepaw flicked his tail at him.

Whitefur glanced at the patrol awkwardly and turned his head to Shadepaw. "You threatened us! We had a right. We're going to tell Bramblestar." He whipped away and the patrol followed after him.

Streakpaw sucked in a deep breath and glanced at us. "This is bad."

Ravenstar glared at us with sharp light eyes, shaking his head slowly. Wintersky stood next to him, her eyes narrowed. They were both disappointed in us.

"You had no right to start a fight like that," Ravenstar mewed in a calm voice but Shadepaw knew he was angry. "Now ThunderClan is furious with us." Ravenstar sighed loudly.

Wintersky blinked and nodded at Ravenstar. "Because of you there may be a fight now. Streakpaw, you are the oldest apprentice. You were in charge of the patrol. How could you let this happen?"

Streakpaw looked shocked. "But we shouldn't have been on that patrol anyways!" He seemed irritated.

Shadepaw quickly interrupted, "Ravenstar, can you tell us if Whiteeyes is okay?"

The leader looked at Shadepaw for a heartbeat and nodded. "Yes, uh, Whiteeyes is currently in the medicine den. He had an aching in his stomach and frankly, Whispersong doesn't think he'd going to make it through the night."

He felt pain strike him and he looked down at the ground, shaking his head. _Poor Whiteeyes…_ Shadepaw looked back up at Ravenstar and clenched his jaw.

"You all will be punished later. Please just get to your nests," Wintersky mewed and mumbled something to Ravenstar.

We slowly left the den and Shadepaw walked faster until he was in the apprentice's den and in his nest, curling up tight and pushing Whiteeyes out of his mind, letting himself drift to sleep.


	8. Chapter Six: Hostility

**CHAPTER SIX**

 _The moonlight shone down brightly on_ Shadepaw as they waited for RiverClan to cross the log and then Ravenstar and Wintersky jumped up on the log. He stood beside Icepaw and Leafypaw who were talking excitedly around him. Just last night Whiteeyes had passed away. His stomach churned as he remined himself.

He wanted to get over the log as quickly as possible. Leafypaw and Icepaw didn't know how to shut their mouths and he was worried about clawing their ears off.

Whispersong and Thunderpaw had crossed the log and he watched Coldfeather and Honeycloud jump on next. He quickly pushed past Coalpaw and stood beside the log until Crowflight told him to jump up.

The log was wet and soggy and he had to dig his claws in so he didn't fall off. The log moved slightly as Coalpaw jumped on after him but Shadepaw avoided his gaze and jumped off the log onto the other side.

He pushed through the bushes and instantly he was in awe. The Island was beautiful and the full moon shone brightly down on him. He looked around at the cats around him smelling ThunderClan. RiverClan, and another scent he was familiar with and assumed it was WindClan. But something seemed to be off. Instead of friendly smiles and mingling, the Clans stayed in their groups and occasionally a glare would be shot from one group to another. Everyone was very hostile.

Shadepaw padded away from the groups and sat by himself at the edge of the clearing as the rest of his Clanmates padded over the log and onto the Island. He could see the leaders jumping on the Great Oak and the medicine cats gathered at the side of it while the deputies were gathered at the roots of the trees. The only cats who talked freely and with warmth were the medicine cats.

"The Gathering will begin now!" Bramblestar yowled and instantly silence fell over the clearing and all eyes turned to the leaders. Bramblestar continued, "ThunderClan has a new apprentice, Spottedpaw. Also, Sunpelt is expecting kits!" There were some yowls of approvement from ThunderClan. He glanced over at Ravenstar. "Scents have been found from ShadowClan cats on our territory as well as WindClan cats so we are stepped up our patrols." His branch shook as he sat down and the WindClan leader, Crowstar stood up.

"WindClan has two new apprentices, Mudpaw and Stormpaw!" He saw two apprentices raise their heads high as WindClan yowled their name. "We too have smelled ThunderClan and RiverClan on our territory and are stepping up our patrols." His tail lashed and he sat down.

Ravenstar stood up, looking a little worried. "We have two new warriors: Honeycloud and Coldfeather! As you may have noticed, Beestar is not here. Unfortunately, Beestar passed away and I have taken her place. I've chosen Wintersky as my deputy!" He flicked his tail down at the white she-cat and then he sat down. Mistystar stood up, looking furious.

"RiverClan has two new apprentices, Cloudpaw and Fishpaw! Shimmerpelt also had two healthy kits." She glanced around as there were some cheers. "Also, we've scented ShadowClan and WindClan deep inside our territory. I warn both Clans to stay away or you will regret it," she growled and jumped down from the tree, summoning her Clan with a flick of her tail.

The rest of the leaders gathered their Clans and Shadepaw rushed over to where Ravenstar and the rest of their patrol was waiting. They quickly padded over to the log before any over Clan could and crossed it. He was right after Ravenstar and he landed right beside his mentor. Ravenstar seemed worried.

He felt worried too. The other Clans were hostile towards them and unwelcoming. And what were they talking about that ShadowClan had crossed the border? ThunderClan had crossed ShadowClan's border, not the other way around.

Shadepaw glanced over at Wintersky who was walking quietly on the other side of Ravenstar. She seemed to be deep in thought. She was probably thinking about the Gathering too.

Up ahead he could hear the river and watched his mentor launch himself over it and Wintersky followed. Shadepaw raced to the edge and used his back legs to jump over the river, barely landing on the other side and feeling his tail get a little wet. He could hear the murmur of cats behind him as they continued on through the few trees in RiverClan territory.

They reached the greenleaf twolegplace in RiverClan territory and he felt the cool wood under his paws until they finally crossed over ShadowClan scent markers and into ShadowClan territory. He felt himself warm at the thought of being back in his own territory but he still felt worried about the accusations by the other Clans.

"Wait!" Crowflight called to Ravenstar and he turned around to face the black warrior. "I think I smelled RiverClan scent on our side of the border!" he growled angrily and Honeycloud sniffed around where he was, looking at Ravenstar and nodding in agreement.

Coalpaw let out a hiss of anger. "Those fish-faces! They accused us of crossing the border when they crossed the border!" His tail lashed in furiosity.

Ravenstar waited for the yowls of agreement to die down. "Enough, everyone." He padded over to Honeycloud and sniffed around. Shadepaw heard him sigh quietly. "You're right, there is RiverClan scent all around here. However, we will not be saying anything to RiverClan." He glanced around, looking stressed. "Wintersky, Icepaw, and Honeycloud I want you to mark the border, make sure the scent is strong." He flicked his tail to the rest of us. "Let's get back to camp." Then he led the way through the pines towards camp.

Worry spread throughout Shadepaw but he sunk his claws deep into the ground. He would do anything to protect his Clan, even if it meant fighting with RiverClan.


	9. Chapter Seven: The Rogue

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

 _Streakpaw scampered across the clearing with_ moss clamped in his jaws tightly as he cleaned out the nursery for Frostlight who was now expecting Duckpelt's kits. Flamewing, Duckpelt's brother, wanted the nursery clean and ready for her. He was as excited as Duckpelt and Frostlight about the kits. Shadepaw couldn't believe they had found love.

Very soon Streakpaw would become a warrior and as soon as the next medicine cat meeting was held at halfmoon, Thunderpaw would get his warrior name. The Clan was very strong.

It had only been a few sunrises since the Gathering and the hostility within the Clans was growing. Both ThunderClan and RiverClan had challenged ever patrol that was marking the border. Ravenstar had upped the patrols on each border and on every patrol there had been scent of other Clans on our territory. They had said the same about us.

Ravenstar and Wintersky stood outside the leader's den gazing out at the camp and Whispersong and Thunderpaw were sorting herbs outside the medicine den. Yellowbird, Dovesong, Clumsystep, and Leafypaw left camp for a patrol and Frostlight sat beside Duckpelt, mumbling quietly outside the nursery.

Shadepaw watched Honeycloud pad over to him with a smile. "Hey, do you want to go hunting? I hear the prey is running." Her smiled widened and her eyes shining. She seemed excited.

"Oh, um, sure," he muttered and rose to his paws, giving her a small smile. His mind had been on the hostility of the other Clans lately but he followed the she-cat across camp and then slipped out of the camp after her.

Honeycloud led him towards the twoleg nest and Shadepaw felt awkward now. It was very silent.

"I smell a cat," Honeycloud mewed suddenly, freezing mid-step. She glanced back at Shadepaw who froze as well. "I think it's a rogue," she whispered and crouched down low and Shadepaw did too, fear creeping in his throat. Why were they on ShadowClan territory? Rogues knew the rules.

His ears pricked as the bushes rustled and his eyes flicked over to Honeycloud whose pelt was bristling and eyes narrow. She was ready to rip out some cat's throat!


	10. Chapter Eight: I Have To Stop The War

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

" _Come out!" Honeycloud growled, her fur_ bristling and her eyes narrowed. She'd decided that this was ShadowClan territory and they didn't need to be afraid of anything inside the border. "If you come out now, less harm will come upon you!" she called to where the bushes quivered slightly.

A black tom stumbled out, looking at them with bright amber eyes. He glared slightly at them and puffed out his fur to look bigger. But something about him still seemed off: his front leg was shorter than his other legs and he held it up, like he had hurt it. Shadepaw also noticed that he was missing some claws. A shiver crept along his spine.

"I need to speak with your leader," he grunted, his amber eyes glancing to the bush behind him uncertainly, as if he planned to run away. Shadepaw crouched down and bunched up his back legs, ready to pounce if he tried. "And only your leader. No one else." His tail lashed, as if he already knew we were going to challenge his words.

Shadepaw felt himself grow worried as he took the spot behind the tom and followed him and Honeycloud through the pines and towards camp. He didn't like the thought of the rogue knowing where their camp was, however, he knew this tom wouldn't fight back due to the limp and missing claws.

As soon as we entered camp, cats began to murmur and Shadowclaw, Creamsky, Oakstorm exited the warriors den to see what was happening, even Frostlight entered the clearing to see what was happening. Whispersong and Thunderpaw watched calmly and silently from outside their den, however their gaze showed anger. Ravenstar and Wintersky were under the hazel branch. They were enjoying a frog but now that the rogue had caught their attention they had risen to their paws and padded over to the tom, looking at him with a grim face.

Ravenstar spoke first, "Greetings, I am Ravenstar, leader of ShadowClan. How may I help you?" His voice was cool and calm but Shadepaw knew that he was just as hostile as the rest of the Clan.

The black tom responded, seeming unconcerned, "I need to speak with you. Privately." The tom's amber eyes were calm and he didn't seem to mind all the ShadowClan warriors surrounding him. If he stepped a paw in the wrong place they would attack, he didn't seem to realize this.

"Whatever you have to say you may say it in front of my Clan. I have no secrets," Ravenstar replied coolly, blinking at the tom. "But first, what is your name?"

He let out a grunt. "Howler. The reason I came," he paused to glance around now, "is because I have seen both RiverClan and ThunderClan in these parts of your territory. They have hurt me and chased me away even though it is not theirs." His tail lashed in anger and there were some murmurs that rose up as he finished. Everyone seemed surprised at this.

Ravenstar rose his tail for silence and instantly, it fell quiet. "How do you know where our territory starts and ends, Howler?" he asked simply. Shadepaw wondered as well. Rogues didn't respect boundaries or even care that the Clans were here.

"Simple, your Clan chased me off once before so I took it upon myself to learn your borders as to not make that mistake again. I've learned a lot about you." Howler glanced over to where Whispersong sat and he ears flattened on her head. "You must believe me, they are crossing into your territory and stealing prey! I've seen it!"

The leader tilted his head and Shadepaw watched Sunclaw's tail lash, Leafypaw's eyes narrowed and she bared her teeth, even Honeycloud had her claws dug deep into the ground, as if it were a ThunderClan or RiverClan warrior.

"Thank you for coming to warn us Howler." He flicked his tail over to Lionfur and Nightsnow who stepped forward without a heartbeat to spare. "Take Howler to the border safely."

Howler seemed surprised but he just nodded and padded with Lionfur and Nightsnow at his side, looking grim.

Shadepaw turned to look at Ravenstar with wide eyes. Worry had its tight claws wrapped around him but Ravenstar was blankly watching where Howler had disappeared. He suddenly blinked and was back in the clearing. Ravenstar instantly turned his head to look at Shadepaw.

"We should get to the training hollow. Coalpaw is going to join us," he mewed with a monotone voice. He didn't seem fazed nor concerned about Howler's warning. Then again, he was a rogue, what did he know?

He pushed it out of his head and nodded, following Ravenstar across the clearing to where Howler slipped through the camp entrance and Ravenstar did too, leading him to the side of camp where Crowflight was down in a crouch and Coalpaw had his head tilted and was gazing at him.

Fear struck him suddenly. He'd have to train with Coalpaw. The tom who challenged his kindness and the tom who disliked him heavily. Should he be worried?

Coalpaw met Shadepaw's gaze with coldness, his eyes narrowed sharply as Crowflight padded over to speak with Ravenstar. Shadepaw's pelt prickled a little but he knew if Coalpaw wanted to fight, Shadepaw wouldn't hold back.

"We're going to practice the back kick today," Ravenstar mewed, interrupting his thoughts and frightening him slightly. "Like this." Suddenly, Ravenstar turned away from Crowflight and put all his weight onto his front legs and kicking out with his back, coming just a hair from Crowflight's face. He didn't even flinch. "Coalpaw, you try first."

Instantly, fear shot through him but he shoved it down. If Coalpaw kicked him, Shadepaw wouldn't hesitate to grab his back leg and yank him down. Hard.

Coalpaw turned away from Shadepaw and then moved all his weight to his back paws and Shadepaw flinched, seeing his paws come so close to his face but not connecting. He felt relief flood through him.

"Now Shadepaw."

He waited until the 'paw was facing him and then whipped around, judging quickly how far he needed to be away and then kicked out at Coalpaw. He wasn't sure how close he'd been but he hoped it was very close.

"Very good both of you!" Crowflight praised as Shadepaw faced them. They both looked pleased. "You'll both become fine warriors." The black tom glanced over at Ravenstar, as if looking for a sign of agreement and Ravenstar gave it to him, nodding in agreement and smiling warmly, Howler's accusations clearly out of his mind.

It felt good to focus on his training for once though. Everything else seemed to get in his way of becoming a warrior. Coalpaw, the accusations, Howler. He was sick of all of it.

"Shadepaw?" Ravenstar's voice threw him back into the clearing and he blinked, looking at his mentor with wide eyes and a tilted head. "Are you okay?"

He nodded instantly. "Of course. Continue." He flicked his tail in excitement, pushing the thoughts out of his mind so he could focus on Ravenstar's lesson.

Streakpaw and his mentor, Flamewing, slipped out of camp as Ravenstar, Crowflight, Shadepaw, and Coalpaw entered camp. Ravenstar told them Streakpaw was doing his warrior assignment today and if he passed, Ravenstar would be making him a warrior at sundown.

Inside camp, Whispersong was talking with Shadowclaw at the edge of camp and Thunderpaw was carrying herbs across the clearing towards Clumsystep who was laying in the sun and watching Leafypaw clean out the apprentice's den. Wintersky was speaking with Springleap, Raindusk, and Fallenpine. She looked worried.

Ravenstar looked at Coalpaw and Shadepaw. "Go get something to eat," he ordered and quickly padded over to Wintersky and Crowflight nodded, whisking away to where Sunclaw was sitting outside the warrior's den. She seemed surprised to see him approaching her.

Shadepaw knew that Sunclaw and Crowflight were once mates, well, Sunclaw was forced into being Crowflight's mate. Their kits were Coldfeather and Honeycloud. And speaking of Honeycloud.

"Shadepaw! Hey!" the yellow warrior padded over to him with a grin on her face. "How was training?" she asked in her very soft, kind, honey-like voice.

He tilted his head at her. "Hello, Honeycloud," he mewed blandly, gazing at her amber eyes with interest. "It was fun. Ravenstar is a good teacher. What did you do?"

She looked down at the ground and smiled slightly. "Oh, I went on a border patrol with Lioncall, Leafypaw, and Ashcloud. Ivypool threatened us at the border." Honeycloud shook her head slowly but he could see the irritation in her eyes. She didn't like the accusations either.

"Yeah, listen…" he began slowly, "You should be careful around the border and when you're near other Clans. We don't need you getting harmed." Shadepaw gave a small smile and then saw movement behind her shoulder, seeing Streakpaw enter camp with Flamewing, looking proud.

"I call a Clan meeting!" Ravenstar yowled, jumping on the hazel branch. "Streakpaw, step forward!" The 'paw stepped towards him. "I, Ravenstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Streakpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Streakpaw spoke loudly and with confidence, "I do."

Ravenstar continued, "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Streakpaw, from this moment you will be known as Streakstorm. StarClan honors your kindness and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan. In honor of StarClan, Streakstorm will sit vigil tonight."

"Streakstorm! Streakstorm!" ShadowClan cheered loudly, as did Shadepaw. Next would be him and his denmates.

He moved to the center of camp and Shadepaw's eyes turned back over to Honeycloud, who was smiling warmly at Streakstorm.

Shadepaw wanted to lay down and not move for a while. His legs felt weak and suddenly sleepiness crash down on him. "I'm going to my nest," he mewed to her and quickly padded away to the apprentice's den and slipped inside and plopped down in his nest and closed his eyes tightly, letting sleep wash over him.

Sunlight trickled into his eyes and Shadepaw sat up, blinking away sleepiness and the black dots he was seeing he looked around and quickly realized that he was in the apprentice's den. Shadepaw puffed out his fur and saw that every single other nest was empty and he slid out of the den and into the clearing.

Everyone was awake in the clearing and the sun was high in the sky. He was confused as to why he wasn't woken up and spotted Ravenstar on the other side of the clearing, talking to Wintersky with a very serious face and he watched Coldfeather and Featherbreeze carry a large piece of bracken to the entrance of the camp. His worry fluttered a little as he zipped across the clearing and stood beside his mentor.

"Why did you not wake me?" Shadepaw asked simply, gazing over at his mentor with wide eyes. "I slept quite a bit…" He watched Duckpelt crouched down low with Shadowclaw and Clumsystep and his mate copying. "Are we getting ready for a fight?" he asked Ravenstar, not taking his eyes off the clear training moves.

Ravenstar glanced over at Duckpelt and he heard him suck in a deep breath. "Yes, actually. The Clans have never been more far apart. Both ThunderClan and RiverClan warriors came to tell us that we will be meeting at the Island tomorrow at sunhigh and we will have a war." His eyes narrowed and Shadepaw felt his eyes widen a little.

 _A war? Between the Clans? That can't be…_ His mind went straight to the prophecy. _A lurking cat will bring war to the Clans!_ He felt his paws tingle. _A cat had already done what it needed to do. Who could it be?_ He gazed around his camp. _Crowflight, Sunclaw, Lionfur or StrikeClan could be back?_ He instantly regretted thinking that. StrikeClan would be beyond what he could handle. Maybe it was a rogue? His mind went back to Astrid and Howler. He didn't know what Astrid did and Howler was just warning them, right?

"You are on a training patrol," Ravenstar mewed, suddenly interrupting his thoughts. "With Moonshine, Lioncall, Icepaw, and Streakstorm." He flicked his tail towards the entrance and Shadepaw could see they were waiting for him.

Quickly, he padded over to them, shuffling his paws as most of them looked relieved and then Moonshine led the way out of camp and around it to the training hollow. She seemed confident but Shadepaw knew she wasn't one of the strong ones.

Everyone faced Moonshine who stood in front of us now. Shadepaw enjoyed the pine needles under his paws and the light breeze in his fur.

"Today we're going to practice partner hunting," she began with confidence and he could hear her excitement. "Shadepaw and Streakstorm, Icepaw and Lioncall."

Shadepaw glanced over at Streakstorm who seemed overjoyed to be working with him. He couldn't help but roll his eyes. Streakstorm, however nice and friendly, was not focused on winning like Shadepaw. Shadepaw was determined to beat Icepaw and Lioncall in partner hunting.

"Your goal," Moonshine mewed, interrupting his thoughts, "is to catch a piece of prey with your partner. Remember: I will be watching."

Shadepaw turned away from her and led the way through the pines, hearing Streakstorm hurrying to catch up with him. His ears were already pricked and he was scenting the air with parted jaws. He could smell a mouse somewhere nearby.

"Mouse!" Streakstorm hissed in his ear and Shadepaw kept himself from snapping at the warrior to shut his mouth. He just nodded and watched the small gray creature scurrying around the ground and Shadepaw crouched down lowly.

Streakstorm instantly crouched down and went across the edge of the clearing until he was directly behind the mouse and then he bursted through the bushes, letting out an ear-splitting yowl. The mouse instantly fled over to where Shadepaw waited for it. He quickly sunk his claws deep in the mouth and killed it with a bite to the neck.

"Nice kill!" Streakstorm called and Shadepaw flattened his ears on his head, looking at Streakstorm with anger. He had now scared away all the prey in this area.

Instead of snapping at him, Shadepaw just nodded, clamping his mouth on the mouse's tail and weaving around him. He grew hot with frustration but they were only required to catch one thing so it wasn't like they failed.

He padded towards camp silently, ignoring Streakstorm who seemed to have no care about keeping quietly at all. Everytime he stepped Shadepaw could hear everything crunch under his paws and he kept rustling bushes as they passed. Shadepaw knew he was a clumsy, loud mousebrain.

They padded into the camp with one little mouse and as soon as Shadepaw saw the crowd, his heart sunk. Icepaw and Lioncall were already back and they stood proudly with a large, fatten squirrel. Everyone was admiring it and Shadepaw couldn't help but feel jealous. He glanced down at the mouse in his jaws.

"Go ahead and put that on the pile, Shadepaw," Moonshine mewed, suddenly beside him and gazing at the two cats. "Just because it isn't big, doesn't mean the Clan doesn't appreciate it." She looked down at him with soft, kind green eyes.

The mouse in his jaws kept him from snapping at her, telling her he didn't need her sympathy or pity. It was definitely for the best as he padded around the group and threw the mouse on the pile. A robin, a few frogs, a lizard, another mouse, and a starling sat under it. It was the ideal size of a pile in the warmth of newleaf. Greenleaf was approaching now, as was the hot weather.

Shadepaw snatched up the lizard and stalked away angrily. He wasn't even mad at himself, he was mad with Streakstorm. But the tom didn't even seem upset. He was happily chatting away with Coldfeather and Honeycloud who were listening with interest. What could he be talking about that's interesting? _I'm surprised I can't hear him from here!_ he thought, glaring over at Streakstorm. But he didn't notice.

He took a large bite out of the lizard and narrowed his eyes down at it, his fur prickling as he thought back to the war tomorrow at sunhigh and how something felt off about the entire situation. Howler had to be lying. Shadepaw hadn't smelled anyone over the border and plus he was a rogue!

"Shadepaw!" Ravenstar was padding towards him and Shadepaw quickly ate the rest of his lizard and then stood up, gazing at his mentor. "I know you're more than ready for tomorrow's war. I believe that you will help lead us to victory."

He shook his head and froze, without even thinking Shadepaw mewed, "But Howler is a liar!" Ravenstar looked surprised that the last thing Shadepaw wanted was to fight. "There have been no scents across the border and he's a rogue." I spat the word rogue out of my mouth like it was bad prey. Everything about this battle felt wrong to Shadepaw. I have to find Howler. His eyes darted around the clearing and he tuned out Ravenstar's next words, His eyes landed on Honeycloud. She always followed him around. "Excuse me, Ravenstar. I promised Honeycloud I'd hunt with her…"

Honeycloud was across the clearing, laying next to Lioncall and enjoying a mouse. They were talking and both seemed entertained and happy.

Shadepaw didn't waste time with walking over and suddenly he was standing over them. "Honeycloud, I need to speak with you," he mewed loudly, looking at Lioncall who flattened his ears on his head. "Right now."

The she-cat tilted her head and rose to her paws. "I'll see you later, Lioncall," she mewed and followed Shadepaw to the entrance of camp and he stepped outside, feeling all his courage sweep away as he felt the pine needles under his paws. "What's going on, Shadepaw?" she asked with her soft, honey-like voice.

He stopped walking, almost directly outside camp and he shuffled his paws. "I-I'm going to try and find Howler… He's the only one who can stop the war tomorrow," he mewed truthfully and he could see the disbelief in her eyes. "I just have a bad feeling about tomorrow and I know Howler was lying. I know it."

Suddenly, a soft, warm voice whispered right into his ear, " _A lurking cat will bring war to the Clans._ "

 _Softheart!_ His heart quickened and he glanced around but he couldn't see her. Was Howler the lurking cat? His pelt prickled and Honeycloud was staring at Shadepaw with wide eyes.

"You don't want to go to war?" she asked in astonishment. She cleared her throat when Shadepaw glared at her. "Alright, I believe you. Let's find Howler."

He nodded at her and turned away, not sure where to start. "We should go to the rogue border…" Shadepaw led the way around camp and towards the rogue border. His mind flashed back to StrikeClan. _Where did they go?_ he thought silently, hearing Honeycloud following after him. He felt some sympathy for StrikeClan but knowing they'd killed a lot of warriors made it slip away.

"Shadepaw?" Honeycloud was walking beside him, her eyes soft. "You know if you fight in the war tomorrow you could possibly get your warrior name afterwards?" she asked.

For a heartbeat his mind wavered and he thought about turning around and going back to camp but he couldn't. He hadn't even thought about get his warrior name. "I can't fight if there is nothing to fight about, Honeycloud." He had no idea where this side of him came from. Shadepaw was never like this before.

"I like this Shadepaw," she purred softly and he ignored her, pushing through some bushes as they neared the border, the twoleg nest behind them. "We're here!"

Shadepaw gazed across the border, seeing all the pine trees. It was just like ShadowClan territory. He slowly crossed the border and felt Honeycloud tense up.

Honeycloud paused, looking at him with concern. "You're going to cross the border? Won't that mean we're… Rogues?" She seemed uncomfortable at the thought.

"We have to," he mewed firmly and turned away. "Come if you want, Honeycloud." He padded forward and heard her following behind him quickly. They needed to find Howler.

"Clan cats? On rogue territory?" a mocking sneer startled Shadepaw and he glanced around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Up here." He looked up to see a fluffy white she-cat in the pine tree. Her green eyes shone in amusement. She was bigger than Shadepaw but only by a little and her puffed out fur made her seem even bigger. "What're you doing here?"

His friend spoke for him, "We're looking for a rogue named Howler. Do you know him?"

The she-cat was laying down on branch, her paw hanging off and swinging. "Rogue? Oh no, Howler is not a rogue. He's a loner. No one goes near him." She stood up on the pine tree now, looking down at them with dark eyes. "He lives over by the abandoned thunderpath. I'm not sure where though." Her tail flicked. "I'll show you." She made a huge leap down to the ground and turned away from them, facing the trees.

"Before we go with you," Shadepaw mewed quickly, his eyes narrowed, "what's your name?"

"Echo," she mewed simply. "And yours?"

Shadepaw swallowed heavily. "This is Honeycloud and I'm Shadepaw. We're ShadowClan warriors." He glanced over at Honeycloud. She seemed way more uncomfortable now. "Lead the way, Echo." He hoped she wasn't leading them into a trap.

Echo began padding forward and they followed cautiously, padding through the unknown territory. He looked up at the sky, seeing the was was disappearing and the moon was coming up. They didn't have a lot of time.

She paused and sniffed the air as a brown tabby tom padded out of the bushes, glancing at the Clan cats wearily.

"This is Goose, my brother," Echo mewed back at us and then whispered something to Goose who nodded and began padding alongside her. They didn't seem weary at all of us, like they knew we weren't going to attack them. Of course we weren't. "So what do you need Howler for?" Echo asked suddenly.

Honeycloud glanced at Shadepaw. "We need him to speak to our leader. He's done something that could result in a lot of death." When she spoke Goose and Echo glanced at each other with wide eyes. Did they know? "Have you ever met Howler?"

"Oh yes," Goose mewed with a deep, gruff voice. He didn't sound friendly. "Howler helped Astrid escape from your Clan."

Shadepaw's heart skipped a beat in fear and he glanced over at Honeycloud who swallowed heavy. "We had nothing to do with that," he told them quickly.

As he spoke, the familiar black tom limped from the bushes and paused, looking at them with his ears flat on his head. "Goose, Echo, I told you this is my part of the pines and you aren't allowed to come here!" he hissed, his few claws digging into the ground. Now looking at Howler, he seemed old. Like really old. There was no way he could take on two young cats like Goose and Echo. Shadepaw might even be able to take him by himself.

"We know, Howler. But these two Clan cats were looking for you so we escorted them here," Echo responded calmly but Shadepaw could see her shiver in fear. "We'll be back shortly to escort them back to the border" She dipped her head, as did her brother, and then they raced away with great speed, maybe even faster than WindClan.

Howler turned his gaze to us and his amber eyes narrowed. Honeycloud quickly began speaking, "We know you made up the things you told the Clans. Why're you trying to start a war, Howler?"

"Because the Clans are taking up valuable territory you rat-brains!" he hissed and then began dragging a squirrel out from the bushes. He flopped to the ground and took a large bite out of it. "If the Clans fight each other, one of them is bound to be eliminated and then I'll have more territory."

Honeycloud flattened her ears to her head, her face full of worry. "Okay, that's valid, but Howler one of the Clans would gladly accept you into their Clan. You could become an elder and be pampered!" She was clearly trying to make him see the error of what he did.

His ears pricked in interest. "Pampered, huh?" He looked down at his squirrel thoughtfully and then suddenly he got angry and hard again. "I think it'd be fun to watch the Clans fight."

Shadepaw stepped forward, shoving his face right into Howler's. "You think you're the big leader around here, don't you? Echo and Goose are frightened of you so the Clans should be too, right?" His fur bristled and his claws dug into the ground. He was ready to fight Howler. "Well I'm not." Shadepaw was giving Howler his heaviest, scariest glare. "If you don't get your mouse-brained self up and follow us back to The Island, I will personally rips your ears off. Stand up. Now," he threatened, baring his teeth.

Howler was staring at Shadepaw with wide eyes and Shadepaw could see fear in his amber eyes. But suddenly, it was gone and he didn't seem to care about Shadepaw's threat. "You? Take me on? I highly doubt someone as young as you would even touch me. Isn't there a saying? Respect your-" Shadepaw cut him off, using his unsheathed claws and raking them down Howler's muzzle. Blood quickly welled up and Howler seemed too shocked to continue speaking.

"Get up. Now," he ordered furiously. "I won't ask again." Shadepaw's tail lashed as Howler rose to his paws slowly and then Shadepaw glanced behind him at Honeycloud, who was froze with fear. She didn't seem to believe what was going on. "Honeycloud, lead the way."

The yellow she-cat nodded a few times and turned around just as Echo and Goose jumped down from the trees surrounding them and padded up to us. Both of them had a grin on their face.

"I've been dying to see the day Howler was put in his place. We want to come with you," Goose mewed, his orange eyes looking directly at Howler.

Shadepaw nodded in agreement and then pushed the loner forward and he stumbled and then began following Honeycloud. Deep inside him, Shadepaw knew this was the right thing to do. He knew Howler was the lurking cat. He knew he had to stop the war.


	11. Chapter Nine: I Am Happy

**CHAPTER NINE**

 _The sun had risen when they_ reached ShadowClan territory and Honeycloud had picked up the pace and was racing through the pines with ease, as were Echo, Goose, and Shadepaw. However, Howler kept stumbling on branches and rocks and his limp slowed them down a bit. Shadepaw knew that ShadowClan would already be at The Island, waiting. He couldn't allow this battle to happen!

Honeycloud led the way to The Island, racing around the ShadowClan camp and towards the RiverClan border, not bothering to stay near the lake. They needed to get to The Island now! His heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest.

They raced right over the border and continued at a very fast pace with Echo and Goose pretty much holding Howler up. He could see The Island now and he itched to go faster. He had so much energy.

The raced by the river and then Honeycloud jumped right onto the log and Howler did too, Echo, Goose, and Shadepaw following after her. He could hear the cats talking on The Island and he jumped down off the log and pushed Howler through the bushes, seeing Ravenstar, Mistystar, Crowstar, and Bramblestar facing each other with glaring eyes and anger.

"Stop!" Shadepaw yowled and the leader's eyes turned to look at him. "I have Howler, the tom who told you all about the other Clans crossing the border. He has something to tell you." He nudged Howler roughly and looked at him.

The older cat sighed loudly, looking at the leaders. "I lied to you all. None of you crossed the border into another Clan's territory. I just wanted more territory for myself. This war is not necessary." His tail flicked and his head lowered in shame.

Ravenstar stepped back and looked at the other leaders with surprise. "I cannot believe we believed a rogue…" He shook his head in humiliation. "I apologize to all of you." He flicked his tail at the ShadowClan cats. "Get home everyone."

Shadepaw looked over at Howler, Echo, and Goose. "You may take him home," he mewed and watched the rogue cats slowly leave The Island and ShadowClan followed after. Honeycloud and Shadepaw raced after them.

"You did well, Shadepaw," Ravenstar mewed to him, keeping his eyes forward as he lead them back to ShadowClan territory. "I'm proud of you."

"I call a Clan meeting!" Ravenstar yowled as we entered the clearing and he jumped onto the hazel branch. "Shadepaw, please step forward." There was some mumbles and Shadepaw froze for a heartbeat before stepping forward. "Shadepaw brought peace to the Clans and I believe he deserves this. I, Ravenstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Shadepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Shadepaw felt bad for his Leafypaw since she wasn't being apprenticed, too but he still mewed, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Shadepaw, from this moment you will be known as Shadefire. StarClan honors your strength, courage, and cleverness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." Ravenstar jumped down from the hazel branch and rested his muzzle on Shadefire's head and he licked Ravenstar's shoulder.

"Shadefire! Shadefire!" the Clan cheered but he could see Coalpaw just glaring at him. It didn't bug him however.

"Tonight, Shadefire will sit vigil and guard us while we sleep," Ravenstar yowled and then left, slipping into his den.

He sat in the middle of the clearing silently, watching everyone surround Wintersky to be put on patrols. Everyone but Honeycloud who was padding up to him.

She shuffled her paws and smiled at him weakly. "I know you can't speak because you're vigiling so this is the perfect time to tell you…" Honeycloud cleared her throat and then her voice dropped down to a whisper, "When you were trying to find Howler… The way you were so determined and trying to help the Clans." Her head shook slowly and her eyes dropped down to the ground. "I like you… A lot." Honeycloud laughed quietly. She was nervous. "More than a friend." She slowly backed up and then disappeared in the warrior's den.

Shadefire stared after her with wide eyes, completely taken by surprise. Honeycloud liked him? Shadefire had always been rather cruel to her… He felt something in his stomach flutter and he swallowed hard. It was weird to feel like this. He looked up at the sky, watching the sun sink in the sky. He couldn't wait to be able to speak with Honeycloud.

"Hey, Shadefire, your vigil is done," Ravenstar mewed as he crossed the clearing to the nursery and Shadefire rose to his paws, stretching out his legs.

Even though he was exhausted, he couldn't go to sleep without talking to Honeycloud about what she told him yesterday. The sun was barely risen and he knew Honeycloud wouldn't be awake for a while. He'd have to wake her up.

Shadefire padded to the warrior's den quickly and saw Honeycloud sleeping soundly next to Coldfeather and Lioncall.

"Honeycloud!" Shadefire whispered in the den, seeing her move a little. "Wake up!" he hissed a bit louder.

She sat up and looked at him, blinking a few times and then smiling warmly. She went around Streakstorm and Shadefire backed up a few steps so she slipped out of the warrior's den.

"What's going on, Shadefire?" she asked casually, as if yesterday didn't happen.

He took a deep breath. "Yesterday, you said you liked me…" She shifted her paws awkwardly and Shadefire felt the awkwardness. "I think… I like you too." Shadefire tilted his head at her. "And I know I've been a little rude to you in the past."

Honeycloud laughed quietly, her eyes shining at Shadefire. "I'm glad to hear." She licked his cheek gently. "I'm glad you stopped that war yesterday. You should get some sleep, Shadefire."

He nodded at her and then slipped into the den, hearing her entering after him and he laid down in one of the empty nests and circled around a few times and laid down, watching Honeycloud close her eyes and drift to sleep. His heart warmed at the thought and he drifted to sleep.

 _"I'm so proud of you, Shadefire," Softheart mewed, now standing in front of him with her eyes shining. "You have completed the prophecy and stopped the war from happening." Her smile widened._

 _Shadefire dipped his head at her. "I'm glad I was able to stop it. Thank you for the prophecy, Softheart." His pelt prickled. He felt good, really good._

 _Softheart sat down, the stars in her pelt shimmered. "You are very lucky to have Honeycloud at your side. Treat her well, Shadefire." She smiled and then disappeared._

Shadefire watched Honeycloud race across the clearing to Dovewing who was struggling with a piece of bracken. Shadefire smiled to himself as he watched his mate help the she-cat. She was so kind and sweet.

"Are you alright?" Wintersky was beside him with her head tilted. He forgot she was talking to him. The deputy followed his gaze and she smiled. "Honeycloud is a skilled warrior. I'm sure you'll be happy together." She smiled at him and then her ears pricked as a yowl echoed through the clearing. "I hope Frostlight's kitting will be okay…"

Thunderpaw raced across the clearing with herbs in his jaws and Shadefire nodded. "Thunderpaw should be a warrior soon." His eyes flickered back to Honeycloud, smiling warmly again.

"I love seeing you like this, Shadefire. Honeycloud makes you very happy," Wintersky purred and then her smile disappeared for a heartbeat and she shook her head, looking back at Shadefire. She was remembering her mate, Stonefang.

Shadefire felt himself warm up in happiness. He felt good about everything now. He didn't know why he was always so negative about everything before. With Honeycloud in his life now, everything seemed so much brighter. He felt happy now, like everything would be okay.

 **The End**

* * *

 **I know this story was a lot shorter than the rest, I'm sorry about that! But my new story and new series coming out, _Finding The Darkness_ , I've been super excited about and I'm sure you guys will love it. As a bonus for all my lovely followers, I will make _Finding The Darkness_ extra long and the allegiances will be posted later today. Also, my birthday is on Tuesday the eleventh and as a treat for you guys I will be posting _TWO_ chapters on that day, just for you guys! Thank you all for sticking with me and everything, I love all you guys!**


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